North Carolina Central University

FOOTBALL

     DURHAM, N.C. -- The North Carolina Central University versus Elizabeth City State University football game, originally scheduled to be played in Durham at NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, has been moved to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. as part of the New York Urban League's 37th Annual Whitney Young Football Classic.
     The contest, which will kickoff at 2 p.m. on Sept. 15, will be a rematch of the 2006 CIAA Championship Game, which was decided by a last-second, 51-yard field goal to provide the host Eagles with a 17-14 victory. 
     For more than 30 years, The Whitney Young Football Classic has benefited the New York Urban League Scholarship Fund and Education Programs. To date, this has helped 4,034 students with more than $20,165,000 in scholarships, thus providing them the opportunity to attend the college of their choice. Scholarships are awarded on the basis academic record, community service, a written essay, and personal interviews with each candidate.
     The match-up will feature two teams that are coming off of historic seasons on the football gridiron. With their victory over the Vikings in Durham, N.C. last year, the Eagles won their second consecutive CIAA Football Championship. They were then declared the 2006 Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College Football National Champions with a perfect 11-0 regular-season record, the best in school history.
     Likewise, the Vikings rolled through their CIAA schedule with a perfect 7-0 conference record earning their first appearance in the league's football championship game since winning the title in 1971. ECSU earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs (first appearance since 1981) and hosted their first ever playoff game at Roebuck Stadium (Delta State). They finished the season with a 9-3 mark, the best record in school history, and ECSU head coach Waverly Tillar was tapped as the 2006 CIAA Coach of the Year.
     For more information on the 37th Annual Whitney Young Football Classic, visit the New York Urban League website at www.nyul.org.