Last Saturday’s Penn State/Michigan State game wasn’t quite as important as it might have been had both teams not previously lost key contests. But it was historic in another sense, as it featured the nation’s two highest paid Black college football coaches, each of whom have signed lucrative contract extensions. Michigan State’s Mel Tucker signed a 10-year $95 million dollar deal several days ago. He’s in his second season with the Spartans, and with their 30-27 victory completed a 10-2 season, finishing 6-0 at home. While there was some criticism of Tucker’s deal after Michigan State was blasted by Ohio…
Author: Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — The first-year seasons of new Tennessee and Vanderbilt head coaches Josh Heupel and Clark Lea concluded in vastly different fashion Saturday in Knoxville. It was Senior Day for the Volunteers and they romped 45-21, concluding the year with a 7-5 (4-4 SEC) record. They await news on which bowl they will appear, and their offense continues to pile up impressive numbers. Tennessee had a pair of 100-yard rushers for the second time this year as freshman Jaylen Wright and sophomore Jabari Small each had 15 carries for 112 and 103 yards, respectively. Tennessee averaged 6.8 yards per…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Bandleader, keyboardist and composer Jon Batiste successfully makes both experimental and strictly pop records, and has succeeded as the musical face of CBS’ late-night show with Steven Colbert and a Oscar-winning film composer. Now Batiste can add getting the most Grammy nominations for this year to his resume. Batiste earned 11 nominations when the announcements were made last Tuesday, as Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason also announced some major changes for the 64th annual Grammys. This year’s nominees were determined solely by the Academy’s voting membership for the first time in 30 years. The…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Titans put together their worse game of the season in a most unexpected manner, with their 22-13 home loss to the Houston Texans reducing their division lead over the Colts to two games, and snapping their six-game winning streak. The Texans had lost eight straight before Sunday, but they took a 19-point lead over the Titans, then held on when it seemed as though Tennessee would find a win to rally. For the past couple of games, the Titans seemed able to withstand the wave of injuries that’s seen them use a…
It seems impossible to say that someone who has already won two NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, including one by unanimous selection, might be having their greatest season ever, but it seems that the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry may well achieve that goal. Going into Sunday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Curry was the leading scorer not just for Golden State but in the NBA. Curry’s averaging right around 30 points a game, and the Warriors had the best record in the league at 14-2. They were doing this despite not having either All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN —Ernie Hudson has enjoyed a long and impressive career in films and television shows, but one of his most beloved and popular appearances came in “Ghostbusters.” Now the 75-year-old Hudson is enjoying being in the new “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which opened last week to an almost five million dollar payday on Thursday night, and continues to do well in theaters. Hudson told the Hollywood Reporter he didn’t anticipate that there would be another “Ghostbusters” project that featured him, but he’s quite pleased that he got another opportunity to star in the franchise, with this edition being…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Sterling K. Brown has won both critical and industry acclaim for his role in the NBC television series “This Is Us” since 2016, and also for his portrayal of attorney Christopher Darden in the FX mini-series “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson.” Brown has won Emmy awards in both roles, and also recently concluded production on the independent fim “Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul.” But he’s now set to portray a legendary attorney. A Hollywood Reporter story this week says Searchlight Pictures has acquired the script rights to “The Defender.” George…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Titans’ special season continues despite injuries and inconsistencies. They have now won six straight games, with five of them coming against teams that were in the playoffs last season. Their 8-2 start is the best since 2008, and with the 1-8 Houston Texans scheduled to come to town Sunday, their position atop the AFC looks solid. There is even some hope that they may get Derrick Henry back by the tail end of the season. But most importantly, the Titans continue to find ways to win, and manage to hold on even when…
It was big news nationally a couple of years ago when Hall of Famer and former All-Pro defensive back Deion Sanders accepted the head coaching job at Jackson State. The same was true last year when former Titans All-Pro running back Eddie George took over at Tennessee State. Here were two high profile ex-NFL stars opting to coach at HBCUs instead of Power 5 schools. Both have enjoyed some early success, with Sanders and Jackson State going 9-1 this season and winning the SWAC Eastern Division. George has not enjoyed quite the same degree of victory, but has taken a…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Titans return home Sunday from one of the best road trips in recent years atop not only the AFC South, but the entire conference. Their 28-16 road victory over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night improved their record to 7-2, and was also their fifth straight. This is their best start in 13 years, and it continues a stretch where they have beaten four straight teams who were in the 2020 playoffs, and two of them that were leading their divisions when they faced the Titans. Offensively, the loss of Derrick Henry…