Complete Game Notes (PDF)
THE GAME
Fayetteville State Univ. “Broncos” vs. North Carolina Central Univ. “Eagles”
THE KICKOFF
Saturday, September 1, 2012 – Kickoff at 6:00 p.m.
THE SITE
O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity/Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.
2011 RECORDS
Fayetteville State (4-6 overall, 4-3 CIAA); N.C. Central (2-9 overall, 1-7 MEAC)
MEDIA COVERAGE
Radio: WNCU 90.7 FM (Durham, N.C.); “GameCentral” at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio/video internet stream). Starts at 5:30 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst)
QUICK HITS
• North Carolina Central University opens its 89th season of gridiron competition. Eagles football officially began in 1923 and fielded squads every year except 1943 and 1944 due to World War II.
• This is NCCU’s second season of full membership in NCAA Division I-FCS and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference as a Division I program. The Eagles were founding members of the MEAC from 1971-1979 as a Division II program.
• NCCU and Fayetteville State have met on the gridiron 32 times since the series started in 1936. The Eagles lead the series 23-9.
• Fayetteville State’s Director of Athletics, Dr. Edward McLean, is a 1973 graduate of NCCU, and the Broncos’ football home, Luther Nick Jeralds Stadium, is named in honor of an NCCU hall of famer who earned All-CIAA honors in 1960 and went on to play professionally with the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Texans from 1961-63.
• For the first time since 1997, WNCU 90.7 FM, a 50,000-watt radio station housed on the NCCU campus, will broadcast the entire NCCU football season.
• After Saturday’s home-opener, NCCU hits the road for five straight games.
THE SERIES
This will be the 33rd meeting between NCCU and FSU since 1936. NCCU leads the all-time series 23-9. FSU won four games in-a-row from 2001-2004, the Eagles won the next three contests from 2005-07, and the Broncos claimed the last victory in the 2008 season-opener in Durham, N.C.
Last 10 Meetings:
Aug. 31, 2008 - FSU 33, NCCU 22 (Durham, N.C.)
Sept. 2, 2007 - NCCU 17, FSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 14, 2006 - NCCU 49, FSU 6 (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Oct. 8, 2005 - NCCU 17, FSU 12 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 9, 2004 - FSU 17, NCCU 7 (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Oct. 18, 2003 - FSU 45, NCCU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 12, 2002 - FSU 21, NCCU 7 (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Oct. 6, 2001 - FSU 14, NCCU 13 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 7, 2000 - NCCU 35, FSU 27 (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Oct. 9, 1999 - NCCU 32, FSU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
THE LAST MEETING
(Aug. 31, 2008 - FSU 33, NCCU 22) North Carolina Central University committed five turnovers and two special teams blunders which led to a 33-22 Fayetteville State University upset victory, ruining the Eagles home-opener in front of 8,853 fans at NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. FSU scored its first four touchdowns following NCCU mistakes, including two fumbles, a blocked punt and a snap that sailed over the punter’s head. On the day, NCCU fumbled six times, four of which were recovered by the visiting Broncos, and threw an interception. The host Eagles amassed 339 yards of total offense, including 284 yards passing by senior quarterback Stadford Brown, but managed only 55 rushing yards as a team. FSU only needed 257 total yards with 172 through the air and 85 on the ground. The Broncos longest scoring drive of the contest was 26 yards, with two others covering 21 and 11 yards.
ABOUT FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1867, Fayetteville State University boasts an enrollment of more than 6,600 students. The Broncos compete on the NCAA Division II level as members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
NCCU’S IRVINE, PROCTOR EARN PRESEASON HONORS
NCCU seniors Geovonie Irvine and Xavier Proctor were selected to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Football Team. Irvine, a 5-7, 161-pound native of Durham, N.C., was named to the All-MEAC First Team as a return specialist. Last season Irvine garnered All-MEAC Second Team recognition in the postseason after returning 18 kickoffs for 400 yards (22.2 avg.), including an 81-yard touchdown scamper, and six punts for 54 yards (9.0 avg.). He also led the Eagles with 47 receptions for 580 yards and five touchdowns. Irvine enters his final season as NCCU’s fourth all-time leading receiver with 138 career catches for 1,920 yards and 13 trips to the end zone. Proctor, a 6-6, 272-pound native of Ellicott City, Md., earned All-MEAC Second Team honors as a defensive lineman. In 2011, he tallied 37 tackles with 7.5 hits for a loss and 3.5 sacks, along with two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.
THE COACHES
North Carolina Central: Henry Frazier III (Bowie State, 1993) is in his second season as head coach at NCCU. Prior to his arrival in Durham, N.C., Frazier spent seven seasons (2004-10) at the helm of the Prairie View A&M University Panthers football team. He took over a program that experienced the nation’s longest losing streak, dropping 80 straight contests from 1989-98, and transformed the Panthers into SWAC champions in 2009. Among his many coaching honors is the 2009 Eddie Robinson National FCS Coach of the Year award. Frazier also served as head coach at his alma mater, Bowie State University (1999-2003).
Fayetteville State: Entering his 13th season at FSU, Kenny Phillips (East Carolina, 1985) has helped turn the Broncos into a perennial power in the CIAA. Since arriving in 2000, Phillips has posted 73 wins -- the most in FSU history --and amassed a 56-30 record in CIAA play. Under Phillips the Broncos have claimed three CIAA titles (2002, 2003 and 2009), made four CIAA Championship Game appearances (2002, 2003, 2004, 2009) and appeared in three NCAA Division II regional playoff contests (2002, 2004, 2009). During his coaching career, Phillips has been a part of five conference titles and appeared in three bowl games. In his 12 years as a head coach, Phillips has collected several coaching honors and awards. In 2002 and 2009 he was named the CIAA Coach of the Year and was honored as Most Outstanding Coach for the 2002 CIAA Championship Game. The Washington D.C. Pigskin Club named Phillips its CIAA Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2009. He was also named the 100% Wrong Club’s 2009 CIAA Coach of the Year.
IRVINE RANKS FOURTH AMONG NCCU RECEIVERS
Geovonie Irvine enters his final season as NCCU’s fourth all-time leading receiver with 138 career catches for 1,920 yards and 13 trips to the end zone. Up next on the list in the third spot is Antoine Calloway (1993-96) with 153 receptions for 1,920 yards and 17 touchdowns. Robert Clark (1983-86) is NCCU’s career leader in receptions with 210 for 4,231 yards and 38 touchdowns.
PRESEASON INJURIES HURT NCCU
NCCU’s offense took a hit in the preseason with two season-ending injuries. The Eagles’ leading rusher Idreis Augustus and veteran redshirt senior receiver Andrew Johnson (an E.E. Smith High School product from Fayetteville, N.C.) are out of action for 2012 after suffering knee injuries.
NCCU PICKED TO FINISH NINTH IN THE MEAC
Under the direction of second-year head coach Henry Frazier III, North Carolina Central University has been picked to finish ninth in the 11-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, according to a poll of league head football coaches and sports information directors. In its first season back in the MEAC, NCCU placed 10th during the 2011 campaign with a 1-7 conference record and an overall mark of 2-9.
LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL ON WNCU 90.7 FM
Thanks to a new partnership between WNCU 90.7 FM and the North Carolina Central University Department of Athletics, the 50,000-watt Durham radio station will air the broadcast of NCCU football games during the 2012 season. The 90.7 FM signal encompasses a coverage area of more than 100 miles, reaching listeners in Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill and beyond. WNCU, a non-commercial public radio station, last carried NCCU football games during the regular season in 1997. “I am excited about this revitalized collaboration with NCCU Athletics and the football program,” said Lackisha Freeman, WNCU General Manager. “Additionally, I am glad to have the football games back on our airwaves and hope this will demonstrate the true meaning of ‘Eagle Pride, Amplified.’ I am optimistic that this partnership will be rewarding for all parties involved, most importantly, our student-athletes.” According to Freeman, WNCU plans to have a presence at all NCCU home football games, giving fans the opportunity to listen to its programming and meet the station’s on-air personalities and staff. “I am truly excited about our new partnership with WNCU,” said Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree, NCCU Director of Athletics. “The opportunity for NCCU Athletics to be a part of the WNCU family of loyal followers will enhance our constituent-base and that of WNCU. General Manager Lackisha Freeman has been tremendous in this collaborative effort and we look forward to the marketing potential this partnership will bring to the Department of Athletics and WNCU.” Chris Hooks, entering his fifth gridiron season as the play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network, will continue to announce the live action. The broadcasts will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled kickoff time. For more details about WNCU 90.7 FM, visit www.WNCU.org.
ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
North Carolina Central University enters its second season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletic competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles won back-to-back football conference championships and a Black College National Championship in their final two years in the Division II ranks (2005 and 2006) before starting the transition to Division I in 2007. During its storied gridiron tradition, NCCU has produced 129 all-conference selections, 63 all-Americans, 40 NFL draft picks, 10 conference championships and two Black College National Championships. Visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com for more information.
EAGLES’ EQUIPMENT RIDES IN STYLE
North Carolina Central University and Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc., partnered to unveil a brand new truck with NCCU style on Aug. 1, 2011, in front of McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc., “The Official Mover of NCCU Football,” uses the 28-foot truck to transport the Eagles’ gridiron equipment to road games and is part of Tru-Pak’s fleet of more than 200 trucks. “I can’t think of a finer institution to give this gift to than NCCU,” stated Allyson Siegel, Executive Vice President of Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc. “Producing leaders in the world for years in both the classroom and on the athletic field, NCCU is leading the way for other institutions. I am very excited about the upcoming season and look forward to being part of their success in years to come.” The truck is used primarily to aid the NCCU football program move its equipment to and from the site of competition, which enhances the travel experience for the student-athletes and support staff; while also giving the institution visibility not only across North Carolina, but nationwide as the truck is used as part of the normal fleet during the week and the rest of the year. “I’m so excited about our new partnership with Tru-Pak Moving Systems,” said NCCU Athletics Director Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree. “As our program grows, we are looking to form great corporate sponsorships such as this. Ms. Allyson Siegel has been wonderful in her support of our athletics program, and most importantly, our student-athletes. We will move in style this season.” Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc., has been a family owned and operated full-service moving and storage company for more than 50 years. This company averages 4,500 moves annually. Eagle fans are encouraged to check out their website at www.Tru-Pak.com or call 1-800-659-122 ext. 211.
