North Carolina A&T Aggies

The Aggies are led by head coach Sam Washington. Washington was named head coach at the conclusion of the 2017 season following the announced retirement of then head coach Rod Broadway. The 2017 season was arguably the most successful in the program's history with the Aggies finishing the season with a 12-0 undefeated record; breaking the record for number of wins in a single season that was previously held by the 1990 team; and capturing both the MEAC championship and 2017 Celebration Bowl championship over Grambling. Coach William "Bill" Hayes holds the distinction of the all-time most winningest coach in Aggie history, with a record of: 106 victories, 64 losses, and 1 tied game.[8]

Over the years, North Carolina A&T has developed intense rivalries with Winston-Salem State University, South Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University. The rivalry between the Aggies and North Carolina Central University dates back to 1924. Numerous players from North Carolina A&T have played in the National Football League (NFL). They include NFL Hall of Fame member Elvin Bethea, Dwaine Board, Curtis Deloatch, Jason Horton, Maurice Hicks, Jamal Jones, Mel Phillips, Junius Coston, Jesse Britt, Maurice Smith, and George Small.

The Aggies play home football games at Truist Stadium. The stadium, then known as Aggie Stadium, opened in 1981. Before the construction of the stadium, the Aggies played their home football games at Greensboro's World War Memorial Stadium, which was home to the nearby minor league baseball franchise.

The Aggie men's basketball program is coached by Jay Joyner. Joyner became the 10th head coach in the program's history, after previous coach and mentor Cy Alexander resigned in 2016.[9]

The most notable coaches in Aggie history are Don Corbett and Cal Irvin, which the Aggie's home basketball court is named after (the Ellis F. Corbett Sports Center). Corbett is most known for leading the Aggies to seven straight MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament titles from 1982 to 1988. Corbett is also known for his 37-game home winning streak that lasted from January 18, 1986 to November 30, 1988.[3] Irwin's legacy stems from his 18-season run as the Aggies basketball coach. During his tenure, the Aggies never finished below .500. Irvin's success carried the Aggies over from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) into the MEAC, where he won the school's first league championship in 1972. Irvin's held a 308–105 record as coach of the Aggies. His first CIAA championship came in 1958. Irvin's teams won CIAA titles in 1959,1962, 1964, and 1967.[10]

The Aggies have appeared in the NCAA Tournament ten times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995, and 2013). The Aggies have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament twice (1976 and 1981). The Aggies play home basketball games at the Ellis F. Corbett Sports Center, which opened in 1978. Corbett Sports Center, known for its intense playing atmosphere and loyal fan base, was chosen by ESPN columnist Kyle Whelliston as one of his favorite arena atmospheres.[11] Additionally, Corbett Sports Center was ranked the 14th best atmosphere in the nation in an espn.com fan poll. North Carolina A&T was the only historically black college or university (HBCU) in the poll, and in 2007 they had three games nationally televised on ESPNU.[3]

In 2013, the Aggies made their tenth appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament and had their first win.

In December 2017, the Aggies traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia to play the Virginia Tech Hokies, and departed a local restaurant without tipping their server, which drew considerable local attention on social media.

The “Lady Aggies” are led by coach Tarrell Robinson, who assumed the coaching position in 2012. The Lady Aggies are one of the top teams in the MEAC, staking claim to six MEAC regular season and two MEAC tournament championships. Under previous coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs, the lady aggies secured notable victories over Wake Forest University and Charlotte in the 2010 WNIT Tournament. those victories gave the program the distinction of being the first Division-I HBCU program to win two postseason games in an NCAA Division I tournament.[12] The Lady Aggies bost a 41–4 home court record and a 25 home court win streak that began during the 2007 season. Their most recent MEAC title was during the 2009 season. The Lady Aggies won the MEAC regular season championship in 2008, 2009, and 2010.[3]

The North Carolina A&T baseball team is coached by Ben Hall. The Aggie Baseball program has claimed three MEAC championships and 14 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships, including a six-season streak from 1950 to 1955.[13] The Aggie baseball program plays all home contests in nearby War Memorial Stadium. The stadium has served as the home of various local minor league baseball clubs from the 1930s to 2004.[14]

The Lady Aggies bowling team is coached by James Williams. Williams took over the Aggie bowling program from former coach Courtney Stith, who became coach in 2004. Prior to Stith, the Aggies were led by coach Jimmy Mack. Mack is responsible for the early success of the program in which the Aggies won four out of the first five MEAC Bowling Championships since the sport was officially recognized as a varsity sport by the conference in 1999.[16]

The Lady Aggies host their home contests at the local All-Star Lanes in Greensboro.

North Carolina A&T has earned a total of 1 national championship in the program's history. In 2015, the Aggies won the United States Bowling Congress's Intercollegiate Team Championship, in their first appearance, defeating Robert Morris.[17]

The North Carolina A&T women's golf team is led by Coach Richard Watkins. Watkins will be the first head coach in the program's history and will coach both the women's and men's teams. The women's program will play their inaugural season in 2016 and the men's program will begin in the fall of 2017.[18] A&T will use Bryan Park Golf Course as their home course. Bryan Park has served as the host course for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in 2010. The Bermuda grass course was recently awarded the prestigious 4-star ranking in Golf Digest's Best Places to Play Guide.[19]

The Lady Aggies softball team is coached by Kenya Peters. Peters assumed the head coaching position from former coach Mammie Jones who was served as head coach since 1996. In 2003, Jones led a team with only one senior and three juniors to the school's first winning season in fastpitch, with a 31–27 record. The 31 victories set a new NC A&T record, the previous of 23 wins set in 2000. Jones has coached seven all-MEAC players during her career and has had at least one player placed on the All-MEAC first team in four out of the last six seasons.[20] In 2008, Jones was named MEAC Softball coach of the year. This was the same year that the Lady Aggies had arguably the best regular season record in program history with a 31–15–1 record.[20]

The Lady Aggies play their home contests at the Aggie Softball Complex which was built in 2005.

The North Carolina A&T men's and women's tennis teams are led by Coach Richard Akande. Akande joined the Aggies in 2014 and led the men's team into their first spring competition since the program was disbanded in 2006.[21] The Aggies host their home matches at the Aggie Tennis Center. The facility, built in 2003, possesses eight synthetic surface courts where the Aggies play five to six tennis matches per year.[22]

The North Carolina A&T men's and women's track and field teams are led by Coach Duane Ross. Ross oversees all six of NC A&T's track and field programs, which include men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track and field and men's and women's outdoor track and field.

The Aggie track Program held its first season in 1930 under coach C. G. Cooke. In the program's second season, the Aggies took third in the crack mile relay in front of 60,000 spectators at the Penn Relays.[23]

The Aggies host their home track meets on Irwin Belk Track inside the Truist Stadium. The facility, installed in 2004, is named after the former president of Belk Department Stores and a major financial contributor to the project. The surface is Mondo Super X Performance track and features eight 48-inch lanes and wide turns.[24] Belk Track has played host to many regional, national, and international events, such as International Friendship & Freedom Games, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships – East Regional, the New Balance Outdoor Nationals (formerly the Nike Outdoor Nationals), and the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships.[25]

† The 1996 MEAC Championship was Shared with The University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

The North Carolina A&T volleyball team is coached by Hal Clifton. Clifton is the ninth head coach in the program's history, and he replaced former coach Toni Conway, who took over the program in 2009.[28] Prior to joining NC A&T, Clifton held previous assistant coaching positions at NCAA Division II St. Andrews Presbyterian College, as well as six seasons at Division I Elon University. Clifton played an integral part in turning the Phoenix program from a 9–23 team, in the 2005 season, into a squad that finished in first place in the Southern Conference North Division in 2010 with a 21–14 overall record and an 11–5 mark in the league.[29]

The Lady Aggies volleyball program currently hosts all home contests inside Moore Gymnasium.

Ghhddkdidncodncisncistant vice chancellor of student affairs and has also served as the associate athletics director for North Carolina A&T. Hilton's previous experience includes a position as assistant athletics director at Buffalo State University and academic counselor for athletics at Texas Tech University.[30]

NC A&T sponsored Women's swimming as a varsity sport from 1998–2016 where they competed in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA), an NCAA Division I conference that started in 2007 as the single-sport Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association and adopted its current name when it added women's beach volleyball in 2015.[31] The team was led by coach Shawn Hendrix, who ran the program from its first season.[32]

Aggie, sometimes referred to as the "Aggie Dawg" or "Aggie Dog", is the official mascot of A&T's athletic teams. Aggie and his female counterpart, Aggietha can be seen at Football, Men's & Women's basketball games, and other university events. Although the physical representation of the athletic teams is a bulldog, the term "Aggie" has a historical connection to the university's agricultural roots as a land-grant university.

According to Albert W. Spruill, the origin of the school's Bulldog mascot stems from a tale of a shepherd dog, that was kept on the A&T farm to assist in herding the animals to shelter. During a football game the Aggies had become despondent and in the game's last few minutes, an A&T fullback broke through the opposition's defense and scored a touchdown that was ruled 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 school its 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.[33]

"Dear A&T" is the alma mater of North Carolina A&T. The song traditionally concludes formal university events, including athletic contests such as football and basketball games attended by the North Carolina A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine or the A&T pep band. It is more formal than the traditional fight songs such as "Old Aggie Spirit" and the "A&T Fight Song", and is typically played and sung in a more reverent fashion than other university songs.[34]

The A&T fight song made its debut in 2005. The song is traditionally performed at athletic contests such as football and basketball games attended by the North Carolina A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine or the A&T pep band. It is standard practice for the marching band to perform the song after an Aggie touchdown.[35]

"Old Aggie Spirit" is a popular song sung by fans and played by the band at many A&T athletic events, especially at football and basketball games. Before the creation of the school's fight song in 2005, the song served as the de facto fight song for the university's sports teams. It is standard practice for the marching band or pep band to perform the song during the pre game show at football games, after a touchdown, in lieu of the school's fight song, or during time outs at basketball games. The melody of the song is based on the gospel music song "Old-Time Religion."