CIAA
Welcomes Six in 2007: CIAA Hall of Fame
Inductees Announced
Shera L.
White
January 15,
2007
Hampton, VA… The Central Intercollegiate
Athletic Association has selected six CIAA
Legends to be inducted into the John B.
McLendon, Jr. Hall of Fame on Friday, March
2, 2007, 11:00am at The Westin Hotel,
Charlotte. Each of these well-deserving
inductees will also be acknowledged during
the CIAA Basketball Tournament at Bobcats
Arena.
Al Roseboro,
a Winston-Salem State University alumnus,
has been the “Voice of the CIAA” for over
three decades and has announced over 30 CIAA
Championship games for both football and
basketball. Roseboro has become a CIAA
Basketball Tournament fixture, as one person
describes him, “He called games with an
infectious level of enthusiasm that excited
the crowd and encouraged the fans to get
into the game.” Roseboro, a football
player, was recruited by the legendary
Clarence “Big House” Gaines. In the early
70’s he joined his mentor Gaines as a
Winston-Salem State University tennis and
volleyball coach. In 1991, Al preceded
Gaines as the Rams’ Athletic Director for
six years. After dedicating 30 years to
WSSU, including holding the post as
Associate Vice-Chancellor for Student
Affairs, Roseboro retired in 2004. Beyond
serving as the announcer for CIAA
post-season championship games, Roseboro
served a term as the First Vice-President
for the league. The Rams inducted Roseboro
in the WSSU Hall of Fame in 2005.
Joe Gilliam
played on the Indiana University football
team that was the Hooiser’s national
championship squad. He then went into the
Armed Services. Upon returning to civilian
life, he re-entered the collegiate ranks as
a West Virginia State College basketball and
football player. Gilliam received
All-American honors as a quarterback and
earned a place in the Yellow Jackets’ Sports
Hall of Fame. From 1963-1981, Gilliam was
the assistant head football coach and
defensive coordinator for Tennessee State
University. During this period, TSU had
nine Black National Championship teams. In
1989, he took the helm as head coach for
four seasons. During this time he was
inducted into the TSU Sports Hall of Fame,
and was selected as Coach of the Year in the
Ohio Valley Conference in 1990. His career
record of 254-93-15 included coaching five
undefeated teams and five other teams that
lost only one game.
Joseph Howell
is a graduate of North Carolina A & T and
has spent nearly 33 years in the
Philadelphia Public Schools System, coaching
on the junior high level in basketball,
tennis and baseball. During his collegiate
basketball playing career, he was coached
under Cal Irvin’s tutelage, where sports
writers coined him as North Carolina A & T’s
“bread and butter player.” Howell led his
team to two consecutive conference
championships in 1958 and 1959. For his
accomplishments, he received the
Philadelphia Alumni Chapter’s Jack Gibson
Memorial Plaque and the Aggie Letterman’s
Award for the Most Outstanding Basketball
Player of the Year.
Leroy “Lanky”
Banks is the 1947
CIAA Basketball Tournament MVP and a member
of the 2nd Annual CIAA Basketball
Tournament Championship Team, the Trojans of
Virginia State University. The Trojans, led
by the legendary Harry “Big Jeff” Jefferson,
defeated North Carolina Central University,
54-47; with Banks leading the way with 18
points. Lanky, the center for the Trojans,
was described by a reporter, as “…a great
pivot man. Lanky shoots with either hand,
and usually hits the hoop when points are
most needed.” During Banks’ senior year at
home, versus Hampton University, he hit 15
points in the first half and had a game
total of 35 points. This was before the
3-point line. After graduating from VSU,
Banks was drafted and played for the Utica
Pros of the American Basketball Association.
Brigadier
General Shelia Baxter,
an alumna of Virginia State University, was
named to the All-Conference team each year
she played, 1973-1977. In 1976, she earned
the title of tournament Most Valuable
Player. She was the first Virginia State
University player to accumulate 1,000 points
in 4 years and was voted to the Muhammad Ali
Women’s Collegiate All-American Team.
Continuing her athletic career, while
serving her country in the mid 70’s, Baxter
played for the All Army Basketball League .
She has served over 27 years as a medical
logistician and in June of 2003, Baxter was
promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
She is the first woman in the history of the
Medical Service Corps to achieve that rank.
William
“Bill” Hayes, an
alumnus of North Carolina Central
University, played four seasons at the
football center position, earning three
All-America citations before graduating in
1965 with a degree in Physical Education.
In 1976, Hayes became the head football
coach at Winston-Salem State University.
During his 12 seasons at WSSU, the Rams
captured three CIAA Championships (1977,
1978 and 1987), including back-to-back
undefeated regular season marks in 1977 and
1978. He posted an overall record of
89-40-2. In 1988, Hayes was hired at North
Carolina A & T State University, where he
guided the Aggies to three MEAC titles, two
NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances and
an overall record of 106-64-0 in 15
seasons. During his 27 year career as a
collegiate head coach, Hayes accumulated a
195-104-2 overall record; establishing
himself as the winningest coach at both
Winston-Salem Sate and North Carolina A & T.
Hayes has more career victories (195) than
any other college football head coach in the
state of North Carolina.
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