Charlotte, N.C. – The Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF) today announced that North Carolina A&T State University will play North Carolina Central University in the Duke’s Mayo Classic to open the 2022 and 2027 seasons. Exact dates and times along with events information will be released in the future.
100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte and the Leon Frank Agency will be partnering with CSF for the matchup, working on events and business development.
Next year’s game will be the third time that the 97-year rivalry has been played in Charlotte, and just the second time since 1990. The two teams played at Memorial Stadium on October 4, 2008 in front of 20,180 fans. The teams also played in Charlotte in 1990.
The rivalry dates back to 1924 when NC A&T tied NCCU, 13-13, in Durham, North Carolina. The Aggies lead the series 52-34-5. NC A&T has won 21 of the last 29 meetings. NCCU has won seven of the last 14 contests, including three of the last six, but the Aggies have three straight victories over the Eagles.
“We are very proud to bring the storied rivalry of NC A&T and NC Central to Charlotte in 2022 and 2027 for the Duke’s Mayo Classic,” said Danny Morrison, Executive Director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation. “Hosting such a longstanding rivalry between two HBCU schools is an honor and privilege for CSF, our partners, and the city of Charlotte. We look forward to working with 100 Black Men of Charlotte and the Leon Frank Agency to impact the community through new initiatives and events around the games. We are excited to welcome Aggies and Eagles fans to the Queen City for great fun and football to kick off the 2022 and 2027 seasons.”
“We are looking forward to taking one of college football’s great rivalries and moving it to the Queen City of Charlotte,” said NC A&T Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Earl Hilton III. “We want to thank the Charlotte Sports Foundation, North Carolina Central University and Duke Mayonnaise for putting together the game. The city of Charlotte has thousands of residents who are either Aggies or Eagles, so the excitement surrounding the game will be intense.”
“We are thrilled about this opportunity to compete in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium,” said NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree. “This will be a fantastic experience for our student-athletes, students, university community and fans. We have a solid alumni and fan base in the greater Charlotte area and we are excited about bringing this game to their back yard. We want to thank the team from Charlotte Sports Foundation for hosting this event for these two great institutions.”
“Duke’s Mayo partnered with the Charlotte Sports Foundation to help create impact and add our southern flavor in the communities that have supported us for over 100 years,” said Joe Tuza, President & “Captain Condiment” at Sauer Brands Inc. “This is an exciting rivalry and we’re looking forward to NC A&T and NCCU in the 2022 Duke’s Mayo Classic game.”
“Tepper Sports & Entertainment is thrilled to host this historic rivalry at Bank of America Stadium to kick off the 2022 and 2027 college football seasons,” said Tom Glick, president of Tepper Sports & Entertainment. “Welcoming this game back to Charlotte for the first time in more than a decade is great for the city, the schools and fans.”
About the Charlotte Sports Foundation
The mission of the Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF), a 501(c)(3), is to provide leadership for sports-based initiatives that result in a positive impact on the economy and quality of life in the Charlotte region. CSF was created in the spring of 2013 as a combined entity of Charlotte’s two primary sports development groups, Charlotte Collegiate Football and the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission. Its origins can be traced to the vision of Charlotte civic leaders after the very successful hosting of the 1994 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
The Foundation also provides support for recruitment and operation of other local sporting events, and spearheads Charlotte’s continued growth as a preferred host for premier national and regional sporting events. CSF’s future regular season football games scheduled include: East Carolina University vs. Appalachian State University and the University of Georgia vs. Clemson University (2021), the Universities of North Carolina and South Carolina (2023), and the University of Tennessee against West Virginia University (2028).
The Board of Directors that guides the Charlotte Sports Foundation boasts a dynamic roster of top Charlotte civic and business leaders. Please visit www.CharlotteSports.org for more information.
About 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
100 Black Men was founded as an organization in New York City in 1963. The national organization, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. began with nine chapters in 1986 as a national alliance of leading African American men of business, public affairs and government with a mission to improve the quality of life for African Americans, particularly African American youth. These visionaries included businessmen and industry leaders such as David Dinkins, Robert Mangum, Dr. William Hayling, Nathaniel Goldston III, Livingston Wingate Andrew Hatcher, and Jackie Robinson. Since inception, the vision emerged and grew to over 10,000 members impacting over 125,000 underserved, underrepresented minority youth annually. Visit www.100blackmen.org for more information on the programs and initiatives of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and their global network of chapters.
100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte, Inc. improves the quality of life for the communities it serves. Mentoring is the core service delivery of The 100, the largest network of African American male mentors in the nation. It influences and transforms the lives of underrepresented and disenfranchised youth, with a focus on African American youth. Through the platform of Mentoring The 100 Way®, across a lifetime, it provides programmatic services in education, health and wellness, economic empowerment and leadership development, which makes a fundamental difference in the lives of the youths it touches and the communities it serves.
Leon Frank Agency
The Leon Frank Agency was founded in 2018 with one goal in mind: help HBCU Athletic departments, programming, and events take their opportunities to the next level. With over 20 years of experience in sports marketing, partnership development, advertising, and social media, it is here for the HBCU Culture. It aims to develop unique experiences for partners and clients to engage with the current HBCU Landscape.
About Duke’s Mayonnaise
Duke’s Mayonnaise was created in 1917 in Greenville, SC by Eugenia Duke. In addition to the flagship mayonnaise, which is still made according to Eugenia’s original recipe, Duke’s offers light, olive oil, and flavored mayonnaises, tartar sauce, sandwich relish and regionally-inspired Duke’s Southern Sauces and dressings. For more information, visit www.dukesmayo.com.
Duke’s Mayonnaise is owned by Sauer Brands, Inc., which was founded as The C.F. Sauer Company in 1887 in Richmond, Virginia. The company produces a broad line of inspired flavors to excite and delight consumers in the condiments, spices, seasonings and extracts categories. The company’s manufacturing facilities include locations in Richmond, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; New Century, Kansas; San Luis Obispo, California, and Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Besides Duke’s Mayonnaise, the company’s brands include The Spice Hunter, Sauer’s, Gold Medal, BAMA, Kernel Seasons, and Tasty Shakes. Sauer Brands also produces high-quality private-label products for the retail and foodservice channels. Learn more at sauerbrands.com.
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