Joe Thomas Sr. says that playing in Saturday's South Carolina State game was "one of the happiest days" of his life.

Through all the changes, Barber stayed resilient and focused. Now his life-long vision of playing in the NFL will materialize, and even better, he's now able to provide for his mother in her time of need.

The CIAA held its annual football media day at Virginia State University and SportsGroove TV gets the preseason scoop as the conference begins its 99th…