BOXTOROW One-on-One Interviews

HBCU alum Charles Huff. …anytime you get to pave a way for anybody, I think that’s your responsibility. Just like our parents and ancestors and people that came before me Tyrone Willingham, Dennis Green, Art Shell in the NFL, all of those guys made it easier for me to sit in the chair that I’mContinue Reading →

I’m not going to say the main reason… [Deion Sanders] was definitely a reason why I went there. He made it attractive enough to even consider it because honestly, even with him there, at first I didn’t all the way consider it. After getting there and experiencing everything  [Jackson State] had to offer, I understoodContinue Reading →

It’s probably where a lot of [my growth] came from… You can’t put a [price] on how valuable it is to go against that quarterback like that everyday. Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams on how he’s gotten better going against Patrick Mahomes in practice. Former HBCU All-American and Fayetteville State star Joshua Williams madeContinue Reading →

by Donal Ware boxtorow.com As I try and gather the words to talk about the passing of a friend, mentor, colleague, the man responsible for the way that HBCU sports was and has been disseminated, I will leave you with this conversation that Eric Moore and I had on August 20, 2015 as he wasContinue Reading →

I really miss those days, missing the band playing and all of that good stuff… Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart on what he remembers most about his time at Albany State. Grover Stewart has quietly become one of the better interior defensive linemen in the National Football League. The former fourth round draft pickContinue Reading →

Our facilities kinda have to catch up with the academic prowess and all of the different renovations and constructions that have been going across campus… New North Carolina Central Athletics Director Dr. Louis “Skip” Perkins on first steps as AD at NCCU. New North Carolina Central Athletics Director Dr. Louis “Skip” Perkins has been theContinue Reading →

Whatever you think you’ve done and you think you’ve done enough, it’s time to do more. Damon Wilson when asked what has he told his players. New Morgan State head football coach Damon Wilson is no stranger to building up downtrodden programs. After building the Bowie State program into one of the perennial powers inContinue Reading →

…you know, to be able to do it as long as I have been able to do it and then people still call me and want me to be a part of what they’re doing, it makes me feel good that at least I still have something to contribute apparently. That makes me feel good.Continue Reading →

…we had to go to HBCUs. So I think its dope we’re going back and I think with these top athletes choosing to put their careers on the line, choosing to back HBCUs, we’ll definitely see more, especially if they start winning… Actor Peyton Alex Smith on whether the movement of high school student-athletes goingContinue Reading →

It hits different when you’re able to sit next to people that look like you, educated by people that look like you, be advised and led by people that look like you… Actress Geffri Maya on her time as a student at Clark Atlanta University. Actress Geffri Maya is the star of the CW showContinue Reading →

I just felt like there was no reason for me to leave. I had everything I needed at FAMU. They were building a great program and I wanted to be part of making a difference. -Former Florida A&M safety Markquese Bell on why he stayed at Florida A&M during the 2020 pandemic season. Florida A&MContinue Reading →

I’ve got a lot of respect for Aqeel Glass. I feel like this year, not just me and Aqeel but other guys at HBCUs, we make a change in the NFL Draft. Last year, zero HBCU players were drafted. I feel like this year, we’re going to be the difference. Not only are we goingContinue Reading →

Oh yeah, of course. As a competitor and player I feel like my body of work speaks for itself. At the end of the day, God has a plan. I just took it as a chip on my shoulder, put an extra little chip on my shoulder and got back to work. -Alabama A&M quarterbackContinue Reading →

No, I haven’t [run] into J. Cole yet, I am a big J. Cole fan. My dad, he’s an older gentleman, he ran into J. Cole and he didn’t even know who the guy was. How does he run into him? He doesn’t even know who he is. -Fayetteville State cornerback Joshua Williams on beingContinue Reading →

I watched a lot of YouTube. I watched a lot of Deion Sanders. I watched Remember the Titans several times [with] Denzel (Washington). I just want to make sure I’m coming in, showing leadership, showing strength, and just trying to get the best out of them. That’s what I wanted Coach Marcus to be. ActorContinue Reading →

I would love to be a Raider for life. That silver and black is different… if I do have to leave (for) another team, it’s going to be a little awkward. It’s like leaving your first home I guess… there gonna have a special place in my heart. It’s often how the business works. IContinue Reading →

I only applied to Morehouse. My older sister went to Spelman and I got to go on campus and see her in college and all of the beautiful Black people, the smart, intelligent people. It was amazing and I was sold. Plus, it was Atlanta and [Atlanta] being a new hub of music, that’s whereContinue Reading →

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Steve McNair. His legacy and spirit still lives on. I played with a special guy during those times and to me, Steve was everything. Eddie George on who the late Steve McNair was to him. During his day, Eddie George was one ofContinue Reading →

I’ve always said, coming up in this process, I’ve always kept my head down and tried to be the best in the role that I was in. Actually interviewing with multiple teams and going through that process… you just know you feel something in your gut and when it’s right, it’s right. Brad Holmes onContinue Reading →

I just accepted it for what it’s worth, but yet the bitterness did not spill over into me condeming the process because the process is what it is… Bobby Dandridge on finally being  announced for induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. NBA great Bobby Dandridge should have been inducted into the Naismith MemorialContinue Reading →

Right now some new opportunities are coming my way that I’m beginning to address, but I’m so happy to rest because after 30 years you’ve got to exhale. So that’s where I am now. Exhaling. Lynn Thompson on his recent retirement from Bethune-Cookman and what’s next. Newly retired Bethune-Cookman athletics director Lynn Thompson’s last dayContinue Reading →

We’re extraordinary. We’re champions because we are an HBCU. Our culture. Our people. Who we are… my kids hear this day in and day out: you were born to be kings and queens and don’t forget that… everytime they slip up and use it (the term HBCU) in an incorrect way, it’s for us toContinue Reading →

…Hockey has not always been the most diverse sport. I think we are definitely making strides now to increase diversity. I think it's been a long time coming, but I think the hockey world is definitely ready. Kelsey Koelzer on what it means to be the first Black ice hockey head coach in the NCAA.Continue Reading →

Going to an HBCU is a tremendous opportunity to grow as a person… the most I remember from Bowie State, the professors that really poured into you and believed in you and wanted nothing but the best for you. [At HBCUs] the professors and the environment that you get, the self belief that you getContinue Reading →

Alabama A&M head football coach Connell Maynor’s legendary status as a player in HBCU football is already cemented. He led both Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T to respective conference championships. As a head coach, he is building his legacy, having led Winston-Salem State to back-to-back BOXTOROW HBCU national championships in 2011 and 2012, andContinue Reading →

Dawson Odums is excited for his new challenge, the challenge of being the head football coach at Norfolk State. He leaves Southern after nine seasons where he compiled a 63-32 record, won a SWAC championship, four SWAC Western Division titles and produced some NFL players including BOXTOROW All-American defensive back Danny Johnson who is withContinue Reading →

Very few small college and HBCU players declare for the National Football League Draft early. But former North Carolina A&T cornerback Mac McCain is not your average person. McCain declared for this year’s draft in January. He talked with BOXTOROW host Donal Ware about his decision to enter the draft early, his time at A&T,Continue Reading →

Former Bethune-Cookman wide receiver/return specialist could do it all. In his junior season in 2018 he also led the Wildcats in rushing. But like most HBCU players, when the pandemic hit in the beginning of 2020, there weren’t many outlets where players could further show their talents. Robinson stayed in shape and earlier this monthContinue Reading →

Former Grambling offensive lineman David Moore’s stock is on the rise for the upcoming NFL Draft. He had a great pro day, one in which not only did he excel, but he held it at Grambling which allowed for some of this former teammates to be seen by close to 30 NFL scouts. During theContinue Reading →

Former North Carolina Central cornerback Bryan Mills played only one season for the Eagles, but he made the most of the season. He was named to the BOXTOROW HBCU Football All-America Team after tying for the MEAC lead with five interceptions and breaking up eight passes. When COVID-19 wiped out the fall 2020 season, MillsContinue Reading →

boxtorow.com Two years ago, USA Today asked my to give my top 100 NFL players who played at HBCUs. I accepted the challenge even knowing that a lot of the players I had never seen play before. One of those players was former Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts great tight end Raymond Chester. The formerContinue Reading →

Ryan Smith has done something that no North Carolina Central Eagle before him has done. Win a Super Bowl. The former NCCU All-American talked with Donal Ware about what it meant to be part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and winning the big game, what it was like on the boat parade and what heContinue Reading →

We thought 2020 was a tough year in terms of loss, but 2021 has not started out any better. John Chaney, the former Temple head men’s basketball coach who did as much off the court as he did on, passed away on January 29 at the age of 89. The loss was felt around theContinue Reading →

Former Florida A&M head football coach Rudy Hubbard is now a College Football Hall of Famer as the announcement of the 2021 class came last week. Hubbard led the Rattlers to the first ever played I-AA (now known as FCS) championship in 1978. Hubbard sat down for an in-depth conversation with Donal Ware and talkedContinue Reading →

It’s been a whirlwind two years for former Tennessee State star Robert Covington who has been with four NBA teams in that time frame. He is currently with the Portland Trail Blazers, having been traded from the Houston Rockets on November 22, a month before the start of the season. Covington talked openly with DonalContinue Reading →

LeVelle Moton’s story – from growing up poor in Raleigh, NC to becoming one of the best and most respected college basketball coaches in the country – has been well chronicled. So respected that when UNC’s head men’s basketball coach Roy Williams needed a game for his team, he called Moton and after a “five-minuteContinue Reading →

Donal Ware   talks with the most well-known host of College GameDay talks about the state of college football, his thoughts on the first College Football Playoff Ranking, some of the storylines in college football admidst COVID-19 and shares his thoughts on who he thinks will ultimately be in the College Football Playoff.

Former North Carolina A&T star left tackle Brandon Parker knows the importance of playing for the Silver and Black in the National Football League. Drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Parker started 11 games for the Raiders as a rookie. Then in 2019, just three. In 2020 he began the seasonContinue Reading →

Rod Broadway went out on top as a college football coach. He led North Carolina A&T to the Black college national championship and a perfect 12-0 season in 2017. He is now retired and living at the beach. He may be retired as a football coach, but not as an advocate for student-athletes. Donal WareContinue Reading →

2020 continues to be a tough year as the HBCU community and baseball mourns another loss. Lou Brock, an alum of Southern University, who played for the Chicago Cubs and most notably for the St. Louis Cardinals, passed away September 6 at the age of 81. Mr. Brock was inducted into the Baseball Hall ofContinue Reading →

“I’m proud to be a Morehouse man.” Those were the words spoken by Academy Award winning director Spike Lee as he spoke to BOXTOROW host Donal Ware. Lee spoke about being a third generation Morehouse man and about how his father was a freshman at MC when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a senior.Continue Reading →

Cal Ripken is one of the greatest players in baseball history and his name is still legendary in little league baseball. Donal talks with the Baseball Hall of Famer and 19-time All-Star about how the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is partnering with other organizations to help feed people during the COVID-19 pandemic, about The Streak,Continue Reading →

Donal sits down with legendary Washington Redskins coach, three-time Super Bowl champion, Pro Football Hall of Famer, and NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs, prior to his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction in late January. Click to download or listen to the interview.

Donal sits dowwn with Tito Jackson of Jackson 5 fame to talk about his career, how a comment by Charles Barkley about Tito on The NBA on TNT motivated him as well as his thought on the Los Angeles Clippers and coaching his sons in little league baseball.

Taraji P. Henson is one of the great actresses of our time. The Academy Award nominee got a first break, playing the role of Yvette in the John Singleton film Baby Boy. She has since played in movies such as Hustle & Flow, Talk to Me, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button opposite Brad PittContinue Reading →

With Tiger Woods taking the world by storm by winning the Masters, there are certain players that had to lay the foundation for Woods. Lee Elder is one of those players. Elder became the first Black player to play in the Masters, doing so in 1975, just like Charlie Sifford and Peete Brown laid theContinue Reading →

North Carolina A&T track and field star Kayla White certainly doesn’t lack for confidence. The senior from Miami, Fla. won the 200m and finished second in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Division I Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala., March 8 and 9. For her performance, she was named NCAA DivisionContinue Reading →