OVERVIEW OF NCCU ATHLETICS
North Carolina Central University's athletics programs have enjoyed regional and national recognition for years. Fifteen men's and women's sports teams participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition at the Division I level (Football Championship Subdivision) as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
The 1989 men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II Men's National Championship. Other men's intercollegiate teams include football, indoor and outdoor track & field, tennis, golf and cross country. Women's intercollegiate teams include basketball, volleyball, indoor and outdoor track & field, tennis, softball, cross country, and golf.
NCCU Athletics Department Philosophy
Mission Statement
North Carolina Central University places the highest priority on the quality academic and athletic experience as part of the overall education of student-athletes. We affirm academic excellence as the cornerstone to the mission of the institution; as well as the physical, mental and social well-being of those admitted. In so doing, we seek to strengthen the integration of the athletic program objectives with academic development objectives. We seek to promote the personal and social development of our student-athletes, coaches and all others associated with the NCCU athletics programs.
NCCU recognizes the positive impact of athletic participation on the individuals, campus community and community at-large. Consistent with these we seek to encourage attitudes of integrity, fairness, honesty, civility, responsibility, respect for others, dedication to goals, equal access and zeal to present a national model program that culminates into strongly competitive performances in the classroom and on the athletic field.
Notable Alumni & Coaches
Several former student-athletes and coaches are nationally and internationally known.
Heading the charge of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games was
Dr. LeRoy T. Walker, President of the U.S. Olympic Committee, who lifted the Eagle track & field program to international prominence during his unprecedented tenure as head coach at NCCU. Under Walker's reign, the Eagles produced 30 national titles, 77 all-Americans, and five Olympic medalists.
Legendary basketball practitioner,
John B. McLendon, a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, established a remarkable record of 239-68 (.779) as an Eagle head coach from 1940 to 1952. A student of the late Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, McLendon is credited with the development of the zone press, fast break and four corners offense. He also orchestrated the first racially integrated college-level basketball game in the South against a team from nearby Duke University, called "
The Secret Game."
Boston Celtic great
Sam Jones, a student-athlete under McLendon and a fellow Hall-of-Famer, became the first black player to be drafted in the first round after scoring a record 1,745 points during his stellar NCCU career.
Internationally-renowned artist,
Ernie Barnes, best-known for his famous paintings seen on the 1970s sitcom "Good Times," played football for NCCU prior to a professional gridiron career with the Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.
The LeRoy T. Walker Physical Education Complex houses a multi-purpose gymnasium, Olympic-sized swimming and diving pool, athletic training facilities, strength and fitness center, and much more.
O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium hosts NCCU football action for a capacity crowd of 10,000 dedicated Eagle fans. In November,
McDougald-McLendon Arena lights-up with men's and women's basketball excitement (3,056 capacity).
The university's physical education department, as well as student government agencies, also provide a wide range of indoor and outdoor athletic and recreational opportunities for students not involved at the intercollegiate level.
Sports Offered by NCCU Athletics
(15 Varsity Intercollegiate Sports)
| Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| Football (Men) |
Basketball (Men & Women) |
Softball (Women) |
| Volleyball (Women) |
Indoor Track & Field (Men & Women) |
Tennis (Men & Women) |
| Cross Country (Men & Women) |
|
Outdoor Track & Field (Men & Women) |
|
|
Golf (Men & Women) |
CHAMPIONSHIPS / NCAA POST-SEASON
Basketball (Men)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament Champions (MEAC): 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
NCAA Division I Tournament Appearances: 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 1946, 1950
NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances: 1957, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1997
NCAA Division II Regional Champions: 1989, 1993
NCAA Division II National Champions: 1989
Football
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champions (MEAC): 1972, 1973, 2016, 2022
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 1953, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1980, 2005, 2006
HBCU National Champions: 1954, 2005, 2006, 2022
NCAA Division II Playoff Appearances: 1988, 2005, 2006
Track & Field (Men)
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 1964, 1965, 1971
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champions (MEAC): 1972, 1973, 1974
NAIA National Champions: 1972
Tennis (Men)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champions (MEAC): 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1998
Volleyball (Women)
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006
NCAA Division II Playoff Appearances: 2004, 2005, 2006
Softball
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champions (MEAC): 2023
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 1998, 1999, 2006
NCAA Division II Playoff Appearances: 2006, 2007
Basketball (Women)
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 1984, 2007
NCAA Division II Playoff Appearances: 1984, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007
Cross Country (Women)
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 2005, 2006
NCAA Division II Regional Champions: 2006
Cross Country (Men)
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 2004
Bowling (Women)
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (CIAA): 2001
NCCU Centennial Celebration (2009-10): Eagles Athletics History
North Carolina Central University boasts a rich tradition in athletic competition, dating back to the same academic year the University opened its doors for the first time.
The first organized sports team at what was then the National Training School and Chautauqua was baseball, fielding a squad in the spring of 1911. According to a master's thesis by George L. Samuel, the student-athletes on that first team were Marion Thompson, Clifton Gardner, James R. Paterson, Benny Henderson, Charles Paterson, Louis Hatsfield, Bishop Faison, Samuel Saunders, Moses Williams, and Elmore Brown. The coach was Louis "Mighty" Bumpus, a local businessman.
Since that time, Eagle student-athletes have competed in sports such as boxing, wrestling and swimming, in addition to the sports currently offered by NCCU: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's bowling, men's and women's cross country, football, men's golf, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, and women's volleyball.
NCCU joined the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (then named the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) in 1928. In 1971, NCCU was one of the founding members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, established as an NCAA Division II conference. In 1980, NCCU returned to the CIAA, an NCAA Division II conference, when the MEAC decided to make the move to the NCAA Division I level of competition. NCCU remained in the CIAA until the summer of 2007, when the University began year one of its reclassification to NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision) membership.
Teams and individual student-athletes have competed in national tournaments in several sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, women's cross country, women's volleyball, softball and men's tennis, winning national championships in men's basketball and track and field.
During the university's membership in the CIAA and MEAC, teams won 46 conference championships, made 22 NCAA regional appearances, won three NCAA regional titles, and earned two team national championships (1989 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball and 1972 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track & Field). More than 55 student-athletes have captured individual NCAA and NAIA national championships.
That level of success extended to the international stage. Student-athletes represented NCCU in six consecutive Olympic Games from 1956-76 in the sport of track & field. During that time, the individuals captured nine Olympic medals, including five gold medals.
NCCU Athletics has had 18 different Directors since the first known title holder in 1923. The Directors are Wilson Vashon Eagleson (1923-24), Leo Townsend ( -1937), Dr. William Burghardt (1937-42), John B. McLendon (1942-52), Dr. I. Gregory Newton (1952-61), Dr. James W. Younge (1961-67 and 1969-75), James A. Stevens (1968-69 and 1976-77), Joseph L. Alston (1975-76), C. Francis A. Silva (1977-80), Henry Lattimore (1980-84), Edward Boyd (Interim, 1985-87), Christopher Fisher (1987-91), Dr. Carey Hughley (1991-94), Sandra T. Shuler (Interim, 1994-95), Dr. William E. Lide (1995-99), Lin Dawson (2000-03), William Hayes (2003-07), Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree (2008-22), Dr. Louis "Skip" Perkins (2022- ).
NCCU Centennial 100 Sports Legends
An internet fan survey from July 20-Sept. 1, 2009, allowed fans to vote for their top 10 teams, 10 coaches and 80 student-athletes to comprise the North Carolina Central University Centennial 100 Sports Legends, recognized as part of a year-long celebration of NCCU's 100th anniversary.
Annual Reports
2013-14
2012-13
2011-12
2010-11
2009-10
EADA Report
North Carolina Central University complies with the requirements of the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) by completing an annual report of participation rates, financial support and other information on men's and women's intercollegiate athletic programs. The NCCU Athletics Report is available by searching North Carolina Central University on the U.S. Department of Postsecondary Education website or by contacting the Department of Athletics for a printed copy.
