North Carolina A&T Aggies football
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina A&T Aggies
are the college football
team representing the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
. The Aggies play in NCAA Division I Football Championship as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
.
, which was home to the nearby minor league baseball franchise. The university saw a great need to have an on campus stadium that could hold the growing number of fans attending home football games.
Aggie Stadium was designed by architect W. Edward Jenkins, a North Carolina A&T alumnus, and opened in 1981. The first game played there was on September 12, 1981 against local rival Winston Salem State University to an overflow crowd of more than 23,000 fans.
To date, the largest single game attendance at Aggie Stadium was set in 2001 when 34,769
people were in attendance for a football game against the rattlers of Florida A&M University
. Started in 1918, the band program has grown from a 50 piece ensemble, to the 260 member band of today. In the mid 1960’s the band introduced the concept of majorettes and flag twirlers. In the late 1970s to early 80's, the marching band was renamed to the current “Blue & Gold Marching Machine” moniker.
The band consists of all volunteer students, and perform the pre-game ceremonies, which includes the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Lift Every Voice and Sing, a halftime performance, and a post game concert known as "The Fifth Quarter."
The Blue & Gold Marching Machine utilizes a variation of the high step marching style. This involves the lifting of the knee with legs directly in front, thighs parallel to the ground, and toes pointed downward. When the leg is elevated, there should be a 90-degree angle with the body and the thigh, and a 90-degree angle with the thigh and the shin. The leg is then lowered, and this is repeated with the other leg. This is informally referred to as the "chair step". This is also the style commonly found in many HBCU marching bands.
The Blue and Gold Marching Machine has performed in many major performances including the 2009 Honda Battle of the Bands
in Atlanta, Georgia
and also performing in the Pontiac Silverdome
in Pontiac, Michigan
. The Blue and Gold Marching Machine was recently invited to perform in the Macy's Day Parade in New York City
in 2012.
According to oral history, The origin of the Aggie Bulldog
mascot stems from a tale of a shepherd dog, a bulldog, that was kept on the North Carolina A&T farm to assist in herding the cattle and other animals into shelter. During a football game the Aggies had become despondent. In the last few minutes of the game, an Aggie fullback broke through the opposition's defense and scored a touchdown, but was deemed no good by a referee. It is said that at that moment, an unidentified person untied the bulldog which then attacked the referee. The incident was said to almost cost the then College membership in the CIAA
, but it vindicated the Aggies. It is said that from that day on, the mascot for the football team has been a bulldog.
tend to place great emphasis on this rivalry and the intensity of it causes splits among many families, marriages, and other groups over their respective teams.
The intensity of the rivalry is driven by the proximity of the two schools, as both are only 55 miles apart via U.S. Interstate 85
, the size of the two schools, as North Carolina A&T is the largest Historically Black College and University in the state with North Carolina Central being the second, and the fact that both schools are competing for many of the same student
s and athletes.
. This particular rivalry dates back to the first meeting between the two in 1952, where the Aggies defeated the Rams 44-0. Although a less intense and bitter rivalry than that shared with North Carolina Central
, Fans of both Universities
tend to place great emphasis on this rivalry.
The intensity of this rivalry is driven by the close proximity of the two schools, as both are approximately 30 miles apart via U.S. Interstate 40
, Conference affiliations, coaching personnel and the fact that both schools are competing for many of the same student
s and athletes.
North Carolina A&T Aggies
The North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University Aggies are the athletic teams that represent North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. The Aggies compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and have...
are the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team representing the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a land-grant university located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest publicly funded historically black college in the state of North Carolina.NC A&T is a constituent institution of the University of North...
. The Aggies play in NCAA Division I Football Championship as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States...
.
Home stadium
The Aggies play home football games at Aggie Stadium which opened in 1981. Before the construction of Aggie Stadium, North Carolina A&T Aggies played their home football games at Greensboro’s War Memorial StadiumWorld War Memorial Stadium
World War Memorial Stadium, more commonly known as War Memorial Stadium, is the name of a baseball park in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA...
, which was home to the nearby minor league baseball franchise. The university saw a great need to have an on campus stadium that could hold the growing number of fans attending home football games.
Aggie Stadium was designed by architect W. Edward Jenkins, a North Carolina A&T alumnus, and opened in 1981. The first game played there was on September 12, 1981 against local rival Winston Salem State University to an overflow crowd of more than 23,000 fans.
To date, the largest single game attendance at Aggie Stadium was set in 2001 when 34,769
people were in attendance for a football game against the rattlers of Florida A&M University
Florida A&M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU, is a historically black university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, the state capital, and is one of eleven member institutions of the State University System of Florida...
Marching band
The Aggie Football Team is supported by The North Carolina A&T State University Blue & Gold Marching Machine, the university's marching bandMarching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
. Started in 1918, the band program has grown from a 50 piece ensemble, to the 260 member band of today. In the mid 1960’s the band introduced the concept of majorettes and flag twirlers. In the late 1970s to early 80's, the marching band was renamed to the current “Blue & Gold Marching Machine” moniker.
The band consists of all volunteer students, and perform the pre-game ceremonies, which includes the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Lift Every Voice and Sing, a halftime performance, and a post game concert known as "The Fifth Quarter."
The Blue & Gold Marching Machine utilizes a variation of the high step marching style. This involves the lifting of the knee with legs directly in front, thighs parallel to the ground, and toes pointed downward. When the leg is elevated, there should be a 90-degree angle with the body and the thigh, and a 90-degree angle with the thigh and the shin. The leg is then lowered, and this is repeated with the other leg. This is informally referred to as the "chair step". This is also the style commonly found in many HBCU marching bands.
The Blue and Gold Marching Machine has performed in many major performances including the 2009 Honda Battle of the Bands
Honda Battle of the Bands
The Honda Battle of the Bands is an annual marching band exhibition in the United States which features performances by bands from historically black colleges and universities...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and also performing in the Pontiac Silverdome
Silverdome
The Silverdome is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue located in Launceston, Tasmania built in 1984. The Silverdome was built at an estimated cost of A$4 million, as the Tasmanian Government "proposed a world class facility" to replace the run down velodrome in the Launceston suburb of St...
in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
. The Blue and Gold Marching Machine was recently invited to perform in the Macy's Day Parade in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2012.
Mascot
"Aggie" is the mascot for North Carolina A&T. The term "Aggie" has long been used to refer to students who attend agricultural schools. Hence the reason North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University adopted the nickname "Aggies" when the school was founded in 1891.According to oral history, The origin of the Aggie Bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
mascot stems from a tale of a shepherd dog, a bulldog, that was kept on the North Carolina A&T farm to assist in herding the cattle and other animals into shelter. During a football game the Aggies had become despondent. In the last few minutes of the game, an Aggie fullback broke through the opposition's defense and scored a touchdown, but was deemed no good by a referee. It is said that at that moment, an unidentified person untied the bulldog which then attacked the referee. The incident was said to almost cost the then College membership in the CIAA
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is a college athletic conference, mostly consisting of historically black colleges and universities. Recent addition Chowan University is the first non-HBCU to play in the conference. Conference teams participate in the NCAA's Division II...
, but it vindicated the Aggies. It is said that from that day on, the mascot for the football team has been a bulldog.
North Carolina Central
The main rivalry of the Aggies is against its in-state rival, North Carolina University. Commonly referred to as the also known as the "Aggie–Eagle rivalry", This particular rivalry dates back to the first Aggie Football game in 1924; in which the game ended in a 13-13 tie. Fans of Both UniversitiesUniversity
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
tend to place great emphasis on this rivalry and the intensity of it causes splits among many families, marriages, and other groups over their respective teams.
The intensity of the rivalry is driven by the proximity of the two schools, as both are only 55 miles apart via U.S. Interstate 85
Interstate 85 in North Carolina
In the U.S. state of North Carolina, Interstate 85 scales the state for from the South Carolina border to the Virginia border. As the second-longest interstate in the state , it provides an important link between the cities of Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, Greensboro, Richmond, Virginia and...
, the size of the two schools, as North Carolina A&T is the largest Historically Black College and University in the state with North Carolina Central being the second, and the fact that both schools are competing for many of the same student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s and athletes.
Winston-Salem State
Arguably, the second most important rival of the Aggies is Winston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University , a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina, is a historically black public research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.Winston-Salem State has been...
. This particular rivalry dates back to the first meeting between the two in 1952, where the Aggies defeated the Rams 44-0. Although a less intense and bitter rivalry than that shared with North Carolina Central
North Carolina A&T – North Carolina Central rivalry
The North Carolina A&T–North Carolina Central rivalry, also known as the Aggie–Eagle rivalry, the A&T–NCCU rivalry, and other similar variations is an ongoing series of athletic competitions between North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and North Carolina Central University,...
, Fans of both Universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
tend to place great emphasis on this rivalry.
The intensity of this rivalry is driven by the close proximity of the two schools, as both are approximately 30 miles apart via U.S. Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in North Carolina
Interstate 40 runs through the state of North Carolina from the Tennessee state line in the west to its eastern terminus in Wilmington.-Pigeon River Gorge:...
, Conference affiliations, coaching personnel and the fact that both schools are competing for many of the same student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s and athletes.
Alumni in the NFL
Over 30 North Carolina A&T alumni have played in the NFL, including:- Elvin BetheaElvin BetheaElvin Lamont Bethea is a former American football defensive end who played his entire career with the Houston Oilers...
- Dwaine BoardDwaine BoardDwaine P. Board is the defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League...
- Mel PhillipsMel PhillipsMelvin Phillips , is a former American professional football player who played his entire 12-year NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. He has been an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins since 1985....
- J. D. SmithJ. D. SmithFor the offensive lineman of the same name see J.D. Smith .J.D. Smith, Jr. is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and the Dallas Cowboys. He was named to the Pro Bowl two times...