North Carolina A&T–Winston-Salem State rivalry

The North Carolina A&T–Winston-Salem State rivalry was a series of athletic competitions between historic rivals North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Winston-Salem State University, both of which are located in the state of North Carolina.[1][2][3] The intensity of the rivalry is driven by the proximity of the two schools, as both are only 30 miles apart via U.S. Interstate 40; the size of the two schools, as North Carolina A&T is the largest Historically Black College and University in the state and Winston-Salem State is the third largest; coaching personnel, and conference alignments, as both schools at one time were both members of either the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) or the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Although a less intense and bitter rivalry than that shared between North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central University, both A&T and WSSU fans placed great emphasis on this rivalry.

North Carolina A&T–Winston-Salem State rivalry
North Carolina A&T Aggies
Winston-Salem State Rams
First meetingOctober 25, 1952
North Carolina A&T, 44–0
Latest meetingSeptember 4, 2010
Winston-Salem State, 21–14
Next meetingSeptember 7, 2024
Statistics
Meetings total46
All-time seriesNorth Carolina A&T leads,
34–12 (.739)
Largest victoryNorth Carolina A&T, 60–0 (1968)
Longest win streakNorth Carolina A&T, 18
(1952–1969)
Current win streakWinston-Salem State, 1
(2010)
The rivalry is driven by the proximity of the two schools, as both are only 30 miles apart via interstates 40 & 85 and in neighboring Guilford and Forsyth counties.

Since Winston-Salem State's 2010 decision to discontinue the transition to the NCAA's Division I citing financial reasons, this rivalry has been placed on hold for the foreseeable future.[4] The schools announced on November 23, 2020, that they would renew the rivalry with a game on September 7, 2024 at NC A&T's Truist Stadium, formerly Aggie Stadium.[5]

Football

The most prominent sport in the rivalry is football. The two teams have been competing against each other since 1952. In the most recent contest, Winston-Salem State defeated the Aggies in a 21–14 come from behind victory in North Carolina A&T's Aggie Stadium.[6] The two schools have played 46 times since 1952, with periods of time in the 1970s and early 2000s where the two teams did not meet. Since the beginning of the series, North Carolina A&T leads with an all-time record of 34 wins to 12.

In the early years of the series, the A&T dominated Winston-Salem State with an 18-game winning streak from 1952 to 1969. In 1977, under the leadership of coach William "Bill" Hayes, Winston-Salem State earned their first win against the Aggies with a 33-14 victory.[7] Winston-Salem State earned 4 consecutive victories in the series against A&T from 1982 through 1985. On September 12, 1981, Winston-Salem State was the first opponent to play in the then newly built Aggie Stadium. The contest was held in front of an overflow crowd of more than 23,000 fans.[8]

From 2000 to 2005, the series was placed on hiatus. In 2006, Winston-Salem State defeated A&T 41-14 in Greensboro, bringing the all-time record to 33-9 in favor of the Aggies. The September 1, 2007 contest set a Bowman Gray Stadium attendance record of 22,000 spectators in attendance. The game saw the Rams defeat the Aggies 28-7.

Game results

[9]

North Carolina A&T victoriesWinston-Salem State victories
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 October 25, 1952 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 44–0
2 October 24, 1953 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 26–6
3 October 23, 1954 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 41–0
4 October 22, 1955 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 32–6
5 October 20, 1956 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 34–13
6 October 26, 1957 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 41–0
7 October 25, 1958 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 14–12
8 October 24, 1959 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 23–18
9 October 22, 1960 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 21–6
10 October 21, 1961 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 27–20
11 October 20, 1962 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 32–6
12 October 26, 1963 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 60–18
13 October 24, 1964 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 50–12
14 October 23, 1965 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 30–20
15 October 22, 1966 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 56–0
16 October 21, 1967 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 54–6
17 October 26, 1968 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 60–0
18 October 25, 1969 War Memorial Stadium NC A&T 37–7
19 September 3, 1977 War Memorial Stadium WSSU 33–14
20 September 2, 1978 Groves Stadium WSSU 25–7
21 September 1, 1979 Groves Stadium NC A&T 14–7
22 September 13, 1980 Groves Stadium NC A&T 28–21
23 September 12, 1981 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 21–10
24 September 11, 1982 Groves Stadium WSSU 21–14
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
25 September 10, 1983 Groves Stadium WSSU 34–24
26 September 8, 1984 Aggie Stadium WSSU 35–21
27 September 14, 1985 Bowman Gray Stadium WSSU 34–25
28 September 13, 1986 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 28–21
29 September 12, 1987 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 24–10
30 September 10, 1988 Aggie Stadium WSSU 26–6
31 September 9, 1989 Bowman Gray Stadium WSSU 48–19
32 September 8, 1990 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 27–21
33 September 14, 1991 Bowman Gray Stadium WSSU 13–10
34 September 12, 1992 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 21–7
35 September 11, 1993 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 49–21
36 September 10, 1994 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 53–7
37 September 9, 1995 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 45–21
38 September 7, 1996 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 31–7
39 September 6, 1997 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 27–7
40 September 12, 1998 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 20–12
41 September 11, 1999 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 20–7
42 September 2, 2006 Aggie Stadium WSSU 41–14
43 September 1, 2007 Bowman Gray Stadium WSSU 28–7
44 September 6, 2008 Aggie Stadium NC A&T 14–8
45 September 5, 2009 Bowman Gray Stadium NC A&T 19–10
46 September 4, 2010 Aggie Stadium WSSU 21–14
Series: North Carolina A&T leads 34–12

See also

References
  1. Carlton, Jeff (July 8, 2004). "WSSU's jump may reignite rivalry". Greensboro News & Record. Winston-Salem State’s move up in the NCAA’s sports hierarchy, if successful, likely will rekindle what once was an intense football rivalry between the Rams and N.C. A&T.
  2. "WSSU-A&T Renew Rivalry In War of Words - HBCU Gameday". hbcugameday.com. August 21, 2013. The rivalry between North Carolina A&T and Winston-Salem State has been put on the shelf for almost three years, but apparently the fire still burns pretty hot.
  3. "WSSU Rams And N.C. A&T Aggies Renew Football Rivalry". wssurams.com. October 6, 2005.
  4. "With Deficits Mounting, Winston-Salem State Steps Back From Division I". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  5. "Aggies, Rams to Renew Their Football Series". North Carolina A&T. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  6. "Rams Look To Move To 3-0 Overall; WSSU Travels To Face North Carolina Central". Winston-Salem State University Athletics. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  7. "Winston-Salem State 1977 Record". College Football Date Warehouse. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  8. "History of Aggie Stadium". Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  9. "Winsipedia - North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. North Carolina Tar Heels football series history".
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