Is Trei Oliver Right? NCCU Coach goes off on NCAT, Tells Aggies to 'Join the SWAC or MEAC'
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Posted By: S. Moore on September 13, 2023 North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver said Aggies don't show up to home games. We check the attendance numbers to see if that's true. Although the Aggie-Eagle classic is over and his team won 30-16, North Carolina Central head football coach Trei Oliver still has some choice words to say about North Carolina A&T that is sure to irritate Aggie fans around the nation. Per a clip by Stephen J. Gaither of HBCU Gameday, Trei Oliver decided to have a Suge Knight at the 1995 Source Awards moment about North Carolina A&T's attendance since moving on from the MEAC in 2020.
“With what you saw Saturday night in that stadium, they're not gonna have crowds like that except for homecoming. You know, so if you wanna play in the type of environment like that. If you want to come play in classics…Circle City, Magic City…whatever the case may be, the SWAC and the MEAC are where you need to be.” Oliver's comments play on a contentious discussion in the HBCU community about teams leaving historically black conferences like the SWAC, MEAC, CIAA, SIAC, and GCAC to play in predominately white conferences. Many HBCU alumni feel a sense of betrayal and that the programs decided to leave. However, alumni of the program cite the growth opportunities that come with conference realignment. To fact-check Oliver's comments based on numbers, North Carolina A&T was 14th in FCS attendance in 2022 with an average of 12,781 for their six home games per HERO Sports. The Aggies trailed Florida A&M, who averaged 14,418 in home attendance last year. The number makes them 6th in FCS HBCU attendance only trailing Jackson State (42,049), Southern (19,844), Alabama State (18,069), Alcorn (16,527) and Flordia A&M. North Carolina A&T's highest-attended game other than the Aggie-Eagle Classic (which drew 35,798 attendees) was their homecoming matchup against Campbell (21,500). The Aggies top home games also were against HBCUs: vs. South Carolina State (14,116), vs. Edward Waters (9,948), vs. Norfolk State (13,883). However, their November 12th matchup against Charleston Southern (10,234) and their October 1st matchup against Bryant (7,004) drew significant attendance numbers. Nevertheless, all eyes will be on the Aggie-Eagle Classic next year as North Carolina A&T will surely want payback for Trei Oliver's remarks. SOURCE Clutch Points If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Integration dilutes Black communities. Black people do not know how to make progress without abandonment.
Thursday, September 14th 2023 at 8:59PM |
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