Why the Aggie-Eagle Classic in Charlotte Was More Than Just a Game
“Good morning,” said Dr. Charles Johnson. The group of about 30, perhaps still groggy from the Friday night step show, responded with insufficient enthusiasm. “Good morning,” Johnson said. The greeting came back a bit stronger.
“Aggies and Eagles together,” Johnson remarked. “The quiet before the storm.”
The Aggies and Eagles played later at Bank of America Stadium, and North Carolina Central of Durham beat North Carolina A&T of Greensboro, 28-13—the Eagles’ first victory over their historic rivals since 2016. The contest was only part of the storm that Johnson, an assistant professor of history and director of the public history program at Central, was talking about. This was the 100th anniversary of the first game, a 26-0 A&T victory over what was then called the National Training School. (The legislature didn’t designate it N.C. Central until 1969.) If you keep track of such things, the Central win Saturday night came in the 94th game of a series that A&T, the older institution, still leads: 54 victories for A&T, 35 now for Central, five ties.
