An Alabama fan poisoned a beloved oak tree near the campus of Auburn University as an act of revenge.
The Bank of Ann Arbor neither closes nor acknowledges the observance once known as Columbus Day, a snub born out of the fact that it’s located in the home of the University of Michigan and would never consider so much as a nod to The Ohio State University, which is located in Columbus. That’s deep.
This weekend, North Carolina A&T faces NC Central in the annual Aggie-Eagle Classic, or the Eagle-Aggie Classic, depending on which is your favorite school.
A&T is looking to win for the first time since 2021, while the Eagles are hoping to maintain dominance, including a drubbing of the Aggies in Durham last year.
In this rivalry, however, it’s not likely that any flora or fauna will be sacrificed out of disdain for one team or another. Local banks can continue doing business because there’s nothing in the name of either city that could offend them unless they’re taking a serious deep dive into history. What it is is two of the more prestigious HBCUs in the country, schools that have distinguished themselves on the field and in the classroom.
“Two historic institutions,” said Arvin D. Smallwood, dean and professor in NCCU’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, and former faculty member at A&T.
“A&T being the largest HBCU in the nation, and of course, Central will say we’re the best HBCU in the nation,” he said. “But definitely, two iconic institutions with a great history and reputation and have produced outstanding alums who’ve gone on to be nationally and internationally recognized.”
Smallwood is the co-author of the book, “NC A&T vs. NCCU: More Than Just a Game.” He worked with Charles Johnson, an associate professor of history and Director of the Public History Program in the Department of History at NCCU.
Skip Perkins, the athletics director at NC Central, said the reputations of the schools only enhance the rivalry, but that all changes when it’s time for kickoff.
“The rivalry does have a lot of pride because we know that’s a quality institution. We’ve got to be honest. You know they have a lot of great alums, so you want to see another HBCU do well. But, shoot, man, four o’clock on Saturday, we want to kick their butt.”
The history and the rivalry
The schools are meeting for the 97th time.
North Carolina A&T leads the series, 53–38–5.
Historians note that the first Aggie-Eagle football game was played on Saturday, Nov. 22, 1924, and ended in a 13-13 tie. Information found in the Bluford Library Archives indicates the two schools first met on Thursday, Nov. 23, 1922, and A&T College beat the Durham State Normal School for Negroes, 26-0, on the grounds of the A&T campus, where Holland Hall and Williams Dining Hall currently stand.
The series has alternated primarily between Durham and Greensboro. It was also played in Richmond, Virginia, on Dec. 13, 1980, with A&T taking a 37-0 victory. Between 1994 and 2005, the game was played in Raleigh at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State’s home field. In 2022, the game was staged in Charlotte as the Duke’s Mayo Classic, and the Eagles won to launch a modest winning streak in the series at three games.
The Aggie-Eagle, or Eagle-Aggie Classic, used to be known as the Thanksgiving Day Classic or the Turkey Day Classic because it was played on that day.
Most recently, NCCU took a 66-24 victory over the Aggies. You might imagine how that went over at the dinner table where Aggies and Eagles broke bread face-to-face.
Smallwood works at NC Central. His son attends A&T. There is peaceful co-existence based on last year’s harsh reality. Perkins said the size of last year’s victory robbed him of the chance to boast.
“That was the first time ever that Aggies just ate it before I could even talk trash,” he said. “‘All y’all just kicked our butt.’ So, before I could get into talking to 66 and all the jokes and things like that, the Aggies were owning it. So, I never got to talk trash because they just owned it so well. That was no fun as far as I was concerned.”
There’s a car at midfield
No rivalry is complete without one moment that stands out as unusual or just plain bizarre.
In a 2022 interview with HBCU Gameday, Spencer Gwynn, the former play-by-play voice of A&T football whose tenure spanned 51 years, said that while there were too many memories to sort out as the best, one moment was particularly distinct.
It was a Classic game at Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke University when one fan took the idea of driving down the field quite literally.
“In the second half, the game was in progress. And then all of a sudden, this guy drove his car out to the 50-yard-line while the players are on the field,” Gwynn says. “Parked his car on the 50-yard line, got out and walked away.”
Gwynn, who played football at A&T, died in November 2023. Why the car was driven onto the field remains a mystery.
Player turned Coach Hayes
Before he coached the Aggies in a host of Classics, Bill Hayes played in the game for NC Central. He especially remembers being the middle linebacker in 1964 across from an A&T quarterback named Jesse Jackson. This writer remembers that game because his father took him to it. It’s funny where the circle of life takes us.
While he said the Aggie-Eagle Classic, or Eagle-Aggie Classic, has always been a part of his life, beginning with his upbringing in Durham, much has changed since Hayes played. He remembers how his father took him to a Carolina-Duke football game at which Blacks were relegated to a far corner of the upper level, and what a contrast it was to be able to go to the Classic without restrictions.
“And to think about going to a game just freely and having the ability to roam around the stadium and go to the concession stand. That didn’t happen back then,” Hayes said. “And so that Aggie-Eagle Classic Game, that was a Rose Bowl for us. And that was what we looked forward to. That was the biggest thing on the agenda for Black folk in our area for the whole year, and everybody was involved in it.”
More than just football
Although the schools are separated by about 50 miles along Interstate 40/85, the appeal broadens beyond that corridor.
“So, there are a lot of Central alums and a lot of A&T alums in Atlanta, Charlotte. There are a lot of alums in Charlotte from both institutions because it’s an up-and-coming city,” Smallwood said. “And if you’re a young professional coming out of college, a lot of people go to Charlotte and start their lives.”
And aside from the football, Smallwood alluded to the game inside the game, which begins in the stands and picks up at halftime because, well, it’s the Aggie-Eagle or Eagle-Aggie. The schools enhance each other, but they each want to be the most enhanced.
“And so we coined a phrase in the opening of the book saying iron sharpens iron, and that you have to have a rival, having someone that you are striving to surpass,” he said. “It gives you motivation, gives you something to strive for. So, I believe that both institutions, athletically and academically, basically competing against one another, has helped to lead to their athletic and academic success, not to mention the bands.”
Skip.foreman@greensboro.com
336-373-7316
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Skip Foreman
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