The KeyBank Marching Band Half-time Show will electrify the crowd with highlight performances by Morehouse College and Winston-Salem State University marching bands and drumlines.

Chancellor is native Clevelander

By JAMES W. WADE III
Staff Reporter

The excitement inClevelandis roaring up for the Cleveland Classic that will take place Saturday Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cleveland Browns Stadium featuring Winston Salem State University (WSSU) andMorehouseCollege.

Dr. Donald J. Reaves, a native ofCleveland,Ohio, graduating fromGlenvilleHigh Schoolcurrently serves as Chancellor of WSSU, a constituent institution within the University of North Carolina (UNC) System.  Elected to the position by the Board of Governors of the 17-campus system, he assumed his duties as Chancellor in August 2007 and brings to the position 35 years of higher education experience that includes both teaching and administration.

Dr. Reaves holds a bachelor’s degree in political science fromClevelandStateUniversity(1976), a master’s degree (1978) and a doctoral degree (1981), both in political science and public administration fromKentStateUniversity.

Dr. Reaves is active in higher-education organizations having served a chair of the Roxbury Community College Board of Trustees inBoston,Massachusettsand vice chair of the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees inJackson,Mississippi.  He has previously served as a director of the Eastern Association of Colleges and University Business Officers (ECUBO), and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).

Dr. Reaves is going to come back toClevelandduring the Classic weekend and present a surprise to the area, that he was not willing to share all the facts just yet. But look forward to reading the Call & Post each week for more details.

The Winston-Salem State Rams football team was picked to finish ninth in the American Football Coaches of America (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Poll. After posting a 13-1 record in 2011 and finishing at #3 in the final AFCA poll of the 2011 season, the expectations remain high for the Rams heading into this season.

Though the team will head into the season with a top-10 ranking, the team still has a lot to prove after finishing the season ranked third and coming just one game shy of competing for the NCAA Division II National Championship.

They team is led by Coach Connell Maynor. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Executive Committee, in conjunction with the CIAA Football Coaches Association selected Maynor as the 2011 CIAA Football Coach of the Year.

Maynor, in his second season with the Rams, finished the regular season with an unblemished 10-0 overall record and 7-0 in the CIAA, a first for WSSU’s program since 1978. The Rams captured the CIAA’s Southern Division title, and berth into the CIAA Football Championship Game; scheduled for this Saturday versusElizabethCityStateUniversity.

As everyone knows the half time show is what makes the Classic. For two consecutive years, the “Red Sea of Sound” marching band from WSSU has been chosen to participate in the annual Honda Battle of the Bands.

The WSSU band is one of eight chosen from 41 participating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to be a part of the 10th Annual International Showcase which was held at the Georgia Dome inAtlantathis year. The bands are selected by HBCU presidents and band directors as well as through online fan voting. Each school earns a $20,000 grant for its band scholarship fund and an all-expenses-paid trip toAtlanta.

“It is quite an honor to be able to have a return performance at this prestigious event that showcases the best HBCU bands in the country,” said Dr. Michael Magruder, interim chair of the fine arts department, director of bands and professor of music at WSSU.

MorehouseCollegeis ready and we will feature them in our next edition. “The entire Morehouse family, players, coaches, fans and alumni, are looking forward to participating in the Cleveland Classic,” said Yusuf Davis, Morehouse College Sports Information Director. “We are certain that the Classic will be a success on every level and we anticipate that this will be one of the highlights of our season.”

The weekend will start with a College Fair that will involve students from all over the greater Clevelandarea and then Friday evening with a Greek Step Show at Quicken Loans Arena from 7 p.m. –10 p.m. This exciting competition will celebrate the cultural art of stepping as nine nationally recognized HBCU fraternities and sororities showcase their talents and compete to be named the 2^nd Annual Cleveland Classic Greek Step Show Champion. Kym Whitley, actress and comedian, along with Ahmaad Crump of the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the evening once again. The Greek Step Show is free to attend with a Cleveland Classic game ticket which will be available for purchase at the event.

Saturday, September 15, before entering the stadium for the main event, fans can show their spirit by attending the official Tailgate Party presented by University Hospitals on the north side of Cleveland Browns Stadium. Admission to the Tailgate is free with a Cleveland Classic game ticket. This family-friendly event will feature live entertainment, health screens, vendors, food, beverages, games and more.

Tom Joyner, heard on Cleveland’s 93.1 WZAK and host of the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, will broadcast live from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday, September 14. Joyner is also slated to attend the Tailgate party and toss the coin at the beginning of the Cleveland Classic game. The National Anthem will be performed by national R&B recording group, Dru Hill.

The KeyBank Marching Band Half-time Show will electrify the crowd with highlight performances byMorehouseCollegeandWinston-SalemStateUniversitymarching bands and drumlines.

For more information on the Cleveland Classic weekend or to purchase tickets, visit www.clevelandclassicfootball.com.