For more than 60 years, Winston-Salem State was one of the best and most consistent athletic programs in the CIAA. WSSU produced top-flight athletes like Earl Monroe, Cleo Hill, Tim Newsome, Richard Huntley and the winningest HBCU basketball coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines.
Monroe and Gaines helped the Rams win their first and only NCAA College Division National title in 1967.
What the Rams did during their more than 60 years in the CIAA cannot be diminished, but WSSU can’t afford to live in the past. The CIAA is not the powerhouse conference it was in Monroe’s day.
Integration has led the best college athletes to bigger, Division I schools. Over the years, the talent level of the teams the Rams put on the court began to diminish. The Rams went as far as they could in the CIAA, but that era is over.
Granted, the CIAA is probably the best Division II conference, it’s still Division II. It’s like being the smartest in the Jackson family; it’s nice, but not too many people care.
Going Division I and joining the MEAC was a great move for the Rams for several reasons. Many people who long for the CIAA days only do so for sentimental value. They always want to bring up the tournament, which is one of the most successful in all of college sports, regardless of division. Look at it this way, the CIAA tournament only lasts four to five days. What about the other 51 weeks of the year?
Also the move to the MEAC has given us a chance to compete against our most natural rival, North Carolina A&T. A&T was one of the teams that left the CIAA in 1971 for the MEAC. For years the two teams continued to play each other as non-conference foes but recent restrictions on playing Division II schools hurt the rivalry. The Rams and Aggies didn’t meet on the basketball court for ten years. And in football, the Aggies and Rams didn’t play for seven years. WSSU’s first Division I football win came over A&T in 2006 and the Rams defeated the Aggies again last season in front of an announced crowd of more than 22,000. And the first meeting between the two teams on the court in nearly a decade resulted in a sold out crowd at Corbett Center, although the Rams lost. Things will get even better, should North Carolina Central be placed back in the MEAC. The new conference will also give us a chance to renew rivalries with old CIAA teams such as Hampton, Norfolk State, and Morgan State.
Playing in the MEAC also means a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament, better known as “March Madness.” The winner of the MEAC tournament gets an automatic bid to play in the tournament, which gives every school that participates tremendous free exposure.
Once they are eligible to play in the MEAC Tournament in 2009-10, the Rams will have a shot at making it to the NCAA tournament, where anything could happen. Just think of this dream scenario: the Rams win 20 games, win the MEAC tournament, and upset say, Duke. Every college basketball fan in the world will know about Winston-Salem State.
Finally, playing in the MEAC will give WSSU a higher profile among HBCUs. Many of the most prestigious HBCUs in the country, including Howard and Hampton, play in the MEAC. Becoming a winner in the MEAC could lead to students who want to go to a top-flight HBCU to look closer to the CIAA.
Bottom line, we can’t forget what WSSU did in the CIAA, but we also have to look to the future. The move to Division I and the MEAC has already been made, so let’s look at the positives and support our teams.