Fort Valley State University

On July 14, 2008 a package from the NCAA was hand-delivered to Coach Emory Lightfoot Jr., the interim head men’s basketball coach at the Fort Valley State University. The item is an NCAA plaque congratulating FVSU as the Division II Statistical Men’s Basketball Champion with an average of 12.3 steals per game for the 2007-2008 season.

The defensive prowess of the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University brought an excitement to the Health and Physical Education Complex that had not been seen in recent years. The steals led to alley hoops and powerful rim rocking dunks that electrified the crowd. The men’s basketball team finished second in attendance regarding averaging some 1,300 plus per game.

Fort Valley State finished 3rd in the conference during the 2007-08 season, a far cry from the predicted 9th place finish the SIAC pre-season coaches’ poll. The Wildcats also ran a string of 10 games tying a record set in 1966 for the most consecutive wins in a season. This streak was accomplished while the Wildcats were defeating their opponents by an average of 16.8 points per game. Defense aided to one of the largest comebacks in school’s history. On January 31, 2008 FVSU rebounded from a 29 point deficit to win over Lemoyne Owen 88-87.

Lightfoot says, “One of the greatest decisions that I made in my life was to follow in my father’s footsteps and sign with the Fort Valley State Wildcats.” Lightfoot played from 1988-92 under the leadership of former coach Anthony Witherspoon.

Coach Lightfoot was a student-athlete at Fort Valley State College (now University) and a graduate of the institution. His father and mother are also proud alumni of FVSU. Lightfoot took it a step further as he wore the number 25, the same number his father wore during the time he was a basketball player from 1958-1960.

Last season marked Lightfoot’s first as head coach. Fort Valley State University is an SIAC and NCAA affiliated institution with 11 intercollegiate sports under the direction of Interim Director of Athletics/Head Football Coach Deondri Clark.