Durham, NC - The Athletic Departments of North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University have established a promotional partnership and introduced the Midway Football Classic.
"We have entered into a joint promotional agreement," said Anne Little, WSSU Director of Athletics. "The new partnership allows us to cross promote our events, in order to maximize the fan base of the two schools and create stronger revenue possibilities."
The promotional arrangement is not exclusive to football, Little added, and includes men's and women's basketball, volleyball and spring sports.
Following last year's NCCU-WSSU football game, Little and NCCU Athletic Director Dr. William Lide discussed how the institutions could take better advantage of the athletic rivalry between the Eagles and the Rams. With the football game being decided by a missed field goal in the closing seconds of the contest and a long tradition between the schools, Little and Lide thought it would be natural to begin by turning the Eagle-Ram football game into a classic weekend.
"We want to build on a tradition that is already established, Lide said. "We want it to be more than just a game and to create an event with an identity fo its own."
The goal for the 1998 Midway Classic is to gross $200,000 with the home team (NCCU this year) receiving a three percent administrative fee. The remainder of the proceeds would be split evenly between the two insitutions.
"The rivalry has always been there, even as I look back to my playing days," said WSSU head football coach Kermit Blount, an All-CIAA quarterback at WSSU in 1977 and 1978. ‘Now this will take it to another level." "This game has the potential to be one of the best black college classics in the country. NCCU head football coach Larry Little said. "If last year is any indication, this game is going to gain momentum and draw more and more people each year.
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