The Department of Public Works (DPW) and The Burning Sands Alumni Football Foundation (Burning Sands) invite the community to celebrate the unveiling of three Adopt-A-Street signs on the campus of Virginia Union University at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 26. The ceremony will take place at the corner of Admiral and North Lombardy streets.
The 30-minute service will begin with a presentation by DPW and the unveiling of an Adopt-A-Street sign bearing the organization’s name, and end with a “Panther March” to the corner of North Lombardy Street and Brook Road, where Burning Sands members will uncover two Adopt-A-Street signs honoring VUU legendary football coaches Willard Bailey, the late Jesse Chavis and “Tricky Tom” Harris, and Joe Taylor.
Through a partnership with the Richmond Clean City Commission’s Adopt-A-Street program in 2021, Burning Sands members performed bi-weekly clean-ups of the three streets that form the triangle encompassing Hovey Field – 1200-1300 blocks of Admiral Street, 1500 block of North Lombardy Street, and the 2000 block of Brook Road – in an effort to keep the campus of its beloved alma mater cleared of trash and litter. The organization kicked off its 2022 clean-up campaign on March 5.
The Burning Sands Alumni Football Foundation (Burning Sands) is a nonprofit organization that raises money to support various educational and athletic initiatives of the university’s football department. Membership is comprised of men and women who are either former VUU football players, coaches, athletic trainers, cheerleaders, or just loyal supporters of the university.
Members, many of whom are former Virginia Union University football players, elected to pay tribute to these four coaches because of the indelible imprint they left on their lives. The sign bearing the organization’s name is strategically placed at the Admiral Street site to serve as inspiration to VUU football players as they head to the workout room from the practice field.
Willard Bailey, a 2021 inductee into the National Black College Football Hall of Fame, is the winningest coach in VUU history. Coach Bailey holds a school record of 151 wins between 1971-83 and 1995-2003. His teams won six CIAA conference championships. Jesse “Bad News” Chavis is touted as the best defensive coordinator Virginia Union has ever had. His 1973 defensive line, known as “The Wrecking Crew,” posted six shutouts en route to an undefeated season and the first CIAA Championship in 50 years. “Tricky Tom” Harris coached football, basketball, and track between 1950-1983 at VUU. He won 99 football games during his career. Joe Taylor, another legend in college football, has won four national championships, 14 conference championships, seven bowl games, and has a lifetime win-loss record of 233-96-4. Coach Taylor, current VUU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, was inducted into the National Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2020 and was recently appointed to serve on the national College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
Coaches Willard Bailey and Joe Taylor, Jesse “Skeet” Chavis, son of Coach Chavis, and a representative from the Tom Harris Alumni Chapter will be present as honorary guests. Coach Alvin Parker, along with members of the VUU football team, will attend.
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