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OVERVIEW OF NCCU ATHLETICS
North Carolina Central University's athletics programs
have enjoyed regional and national recognition for years. Fourteen
men's and women's sports teams participate in National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition at the Division
I level (Football Championship Subdivision).
NCCU Athletics Department Philosophy North Carolina Central University places the highest priority on the quality academic and athletic experience as part of the overall education of student-athletes. We affirm academic excellence as the cornerstone to the mission of the institution; as well as the physical, mental and social well-being of those admitted. In so doing, we seek to strengthen the integration of the athletic program objectives with academic development objectives. We seek to promote the personal and social development of our student-athletes, coaches and all others associated with the NCCU athletics programs. NCCU recognizes the positive impact of athletic participation on the individuals, campus community and community at-large. Consistent with these we seek to encourage attitudes of integrity, fairness, honesty, civility, responsibility, respect for others, dedication to goals, equal access and zeal to present a national model program that culminates into strongly competitive performances in the classroom and on the athletic field. Operational
Goals
Several former student-athletes and coaches are nationally and internationally known. Heading the charge of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games was Dr. LeRoy T. Walker, President of the U.S. Olympic Committee, who lifted the Eagle track & field program to international prominence during his unprecedented tenutre as head coach at NCCU. Under Walker's reign, the Eagles produced 30 national titles, 77 all-americans, and eight Olympic medalists. Legendary basketball practitioner, John B. McLendon, a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, established a remarkable record of 239-68 (.779) as an Eagle head coach from 1940 to 1952. A student of the late Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, McLendon is credited with the development of the zone press, fast break and four corners offense. Boston Celtic great Sam Jones, a student-athlete under McLendon and a fellow Hall-of-Famer, became the first black player to be drafted in the first round after scoring a record 1,745 points during his stellar NCCU career. Internationally-renowned artist, Ernie Barnes, best-known for his famous paintings seen on the 1970s sitcom "Good Times," played football for NCCU prior to a professional gridiron career with the Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. The LeRoy T. Walker Physical Education Complex houses a multi-purpose gymnasium, Olympic-sized swimming and diving pool, athletic training facilities, strength and fitness center, and much more. O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium hosts NCCU football action for a capacity crowd of 10,000 dedicated Eagle fans. In November, McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium lights-up with men's and women's basketball excitement (3,056 capacity). The university's physical education department, as well as student government agencies, also provide a wide range of indoor and outdoor athletic and recreational opportunities for students not involved at the intercollegiate level.
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