CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina and Florida A&M University will open the 2022 football season in Chapel Hill on Saturday, August 27 with events and activities planned around the weekend to celebrate historically black colleges and universities. The HBCU Celebration Game was originally scheduled for September 17, but the two schools have agreed to move the contest to highlight the proud history of the HBCU schools and their achievements in football.
HBCU great coaches Bill Hayes and Rod Broadway have been asked to become honorary North Carolina captains. Coach Hayes is a legend in the industry and especially among HBCU coaches. He spent 27 seasons as a head coach, won two black football national championships, and is the winningest coach at North Carolina A&T and Winston-Salem State. Coach Broadway also had an illustrious coaching career, serving as head coach at North Carolina Central, Grambling State and North Carolina A&T. He posted a career record of 125-45 and is the only coach to have won a national black football championship at three different schools, winning five national titles in total. Broadway also spent two seasons coaching the defensive line in North Carolina and played for the Tar Heels from 1974 to 1977, earning All-ACC honors as a senior.
FAMU has also invited Rattler legend Rudy Hubbard to become its honorary captain. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021, Hubbard served as FAMU’s head football coach from 1974 to 1985, compiling an 83-48-3 record. He led the Rattlers to two Black college football national championships and the I-AA national title in 1978. For all of his accomplishments, Hubbard was inducted into the FAMU Hall of Fame in 1990.
In-game events will include performances by the UNC Marching Tar Heels and FAMU Marching “100”, who will come to Chapel Hill with their full band, cheer squad and dance crew. The two programs will perform separately, then combine for an explosive halftime show that fans won’t want to miss. There will also be a number of in-game recognitions honoring the history and lore of HBCUs.
During the HBCU Celebration Game weekend, UNC’s National Panhellenic Council will host an opening for the NPHC Legacy Plaza, which is being set up in the courtyard of the University Student Services building. The Legacy Plaza will honor the nine fraternities and sororities of the UNC NPHC and will include columns for each entity to showcase its coat of arms, charter date and motto.
Collaboration between the two athletics departments, campus and city entities is ongoing and programming around the celebration game will continue to grow in anticipation of what will be a special weekend at the North Carolina campus. .
In addition to the Celebration Game, UNC replaced Liberty on its 2024 schedule with a game against NC Central University. This match is scheduled to be played in Chapel Hill on Saturday, September 14 of that year and will be another opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of HBCUs and their football programs.
For up-to-date Carolina football information, visit GoHeels.com/Football and follow us on Twitter (@UNCFootball), Instagram (@uncfootball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/TarHeelFootball).
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