CIAA title game moving to Charlotte
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association officially announced last week that its football championship will be going to the city where its basketball tournament is enjoying unprecedented success, Charlotte, N.C.
The 2007 title game will be played on Saturday, November 10 at American Legion
Memorial Stadium in Charlotte and marks the first time the event has been played in the Queen
City since 1982. The game kicks off at 1:00 p.m.
"We look forward to our premier football event moving to Charlotte," CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry said in a press release from the conference. "Without question, the 2007 season is poised to be one of the best ever. The Championship Game has been great for our fans who have watched the game all over the country, whether at the stadium or on television."
Last year, in front of a record crowd of nearly 13,000, North Carolina Central kicked a last-second field goal to defeat Elizabeth City State in a 17-14 thriller. The last three Championship Games including both the 2004 and 2005 games have been decided by three points.
The CIAA Football Championship game, reinstituted in 2000, has been played in Durham and Winston-Salem, over the past seven seasons. Durham's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium hosted the first game in 2000 and the last four. The game was played in Winston-Salem at Bowman-Gray Stadium in 2001 and 2002.
The move from Durham was all but necessitated by the departure of NCCU, host of the past four title games and winner of the last two, from the CIAA. NCCU is seeking reclassification to NCAA Div. I status. Their official relationship with the CIAA ended Saturday, June 30.
"I'm excited that the CIAA Championship Game is coming to Charlotte," said Harry Jones, Mecklenburg County Manager. "Speaking for the citizens of Mecklenburg County, it will be a pleasure hosting the CIAA Championship. We have proven that we are outstanding hosts, and look forward to laying out the red carpet for CIAA fans on November 10."
The ultra-successful CIAA Basketball Tournament has been played in Charlotte for the past two years and has set attendance and revenue records each year. CIAA officials are hoping the football championship can generate excitement of its own.
Several all-America candidates return for the 2007 campaign including electrifying quarterbacks Lamar Little of Virginia Union, Curtis Rich of Eastern Division champ Elizabeth City State and 2005 Jay Autry of Fayetteville State.
The 2006 season was arguably the most exciting in CIAA history. Two teams (NCCU and ECSU) were invited to the NCAA Div. II playoffs. It was the first time since 1991 that the conference had two teams in the playoffs.
Since the Eastern-Western Division format was put in place in 2000, CIAA regular season attendance has continued to grow. Simultaneously, the championship game has grown into one of the league's most anticipated events.
"Charlotte and American Legion Memorial Stadium are proud to be chosen as the home of the CIAA Football Championship for the first time in 25 years," said Jeff Beaver, Executive Director of the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission. "The student-athletes, their families, and the fans of the football teams will also be warmly welcomed by all the citizens of Charlotte."
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