HBCU SPORTS RUNDOWN: WOMEN LEADERS HONORED, BASKETBALL TIPS OFF, & HBCU LEGACY BOWL

Two HBCU commissioners and a leader in athletics were honored at the Women Leaders in Sports convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

Women Leaders in Sports - Jacqie McWilliams Parker, Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, Sonja Stills | Women Leaders In Sports Convention

We are heading into Week 8 of HBCU football. Before those storylines flood our news feeds, HBCU Legends will run down today's top sports news and updates.

THREE HBCU SPORTS LEADERS HONORED

CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams Parker and MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills were honored as 2025 Nike Executives of the Year by Women Leaders in Sports Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

McWilliams Parker recently celebrated her 13th year as commissioner of the country's oldest HBCU athletic conference. As a trailblazer, she forged new territory when she became the first Black female to lead a collegiate athletic conference.

She told HBCU Legends, "So when I say it saved my life, sports always gave me a sense of family and community."

This is what a 2025 Women Leaders in Sports Award Winner looks like - women who are owning their impact and lifting others as they rise! 🙌 A huge congratulations to our @Nike Executives of the Year & @BSNSPORTS Award winners. 🚀 Thank you for blazing trails and setting the… pic.twitter.com/NimFgwxiAP

— Women Leaders in Sports (@_WomenLeaders) October 13, 2025

Sonja Stills heads the second-largest HBCU DI conference, the MEAC. She has been instrumental in forging new athletic alliances and media deals for her member institutions.

Stills and McWilliams Parker are part of The 4, a group of HBCU athletic commissioners who traveled to Washington to gain support against a proposal that would classify student-athletes as employees of the conferences, in relation to the NCAA-approved settlement with the U.S. Congress.

As a part of the Celebration of Advancement March at the event, Tiffani-Dawn Skyes was recognized for her leadership role as Associate Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Virginia State University.  

Sykes previously held the same position at Florida A&M for two years before accepting the role as player development assistant and advisor to the head football coach at the University of Maryland.

MEAC FOOTBALL IN WEEK 7

• South Carolina State defensive end Michael Lunz, II, and linebacker Jordan Franklin have been named HBCU National Co-Players of the Week.
• The only conference action in Week 8 will be Howard traveling to Nashville to meet Tennessee State. The game will kick off at 4:30 PM. ESPN+ will broadcast from Hale Stadium for the Tigers' Homecoming clash with the Bison.

Welcome to the 2026 Allstate HBCU LEGACY BOWL!

JaCobian Morgan ,QB, @gojsutigersfb #LegacyBound✊🏾@theswac pic.twitter.com/ndGXGvN29X

— HBCU LEGACY BOWL (@HBCULegacyBowl) October 10, 2025

ADDITIONAL HBCU LEGACY BOWL INVITES ACCEPTED

The 2026 HBCU Legacy Bowl announced recent invitations accepted by our star football players for the annual all-star event:

• QB JaCobian Morgan, Jackson State
• RB Curtis Allen, VA Union
• OL D'Andre Towsend-Blue, Jackson State
• LB Dominque Davis II, Central State
• OL Jerrod Burrell, Morgan State
• OL Tyler Thomas, Morgan State
• OL Roger Smith, South Carolina State
• LB Isaiah Stephens, Benedict College

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Kintavious Dozier | Brian Howard, Assistant AD for Communications

BULLDOGS TIP OFF HBCU BASKETBALL

The Donte Jackson era at Alabama A&M tipped off at Boutwell Auditorium with a thrilling 74-73 victory in an exhibition game against Samford on Monday night.   

Senior transfer guard Kintavious Dozier, who scored a game-high 13 points, buried two free throws with 8 seconds remaining in the contest to give the Bulldogs the win in front of a home crowd.

KEY GAME NOTES

• Alabama A&M shot 38.5 percent (25-of-65) from the floor and 90.5 percent (19-of-21) from the free-throw line.
• The Maroon & White grabbed 39 rebounds, with 27 coming off the defensive glass.
• Alabama A&M finished with 32 points in the paint, 20 bench points, 15 points off 14 Samford turnovers, 12 fastbreak points, and eight second-chance points.
• Samford finished with 36 points in the paint, 27 bench points, 10 points off 10 AAMU turnovers, seven second-chance points, and five fastbreak points.

*Courtesy AAMU Athletics

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