Rams to play in Viking Classic for 1st time

Photo credit: rockymonttelegram.com

Vibrant, jubilant and exhilarating are a few words that describe the Down East Viking Football Classic.

The Winston-Salem State football team will participate in it [Viking Classic] for the first time at 4 p.m. Sept. 26.

Elizabeth City State has hosted the Classic since it began in 1998, when the Vikings faced Fayetteville State. This year’s match up will be the 18th annual Classic.

Each year, the event draws more than 10,000 fans to the Rocky Mount Sports Complex in Rocky Mount, N.C.

In 1997, Edward McLean, former ECSU athletic director, and Claudie Mackey, an ECSU faculty member, proposed the idea of the Classic to Charles Penny, the ECSU board of trustees chairman at the time.

"We see [the Classic] as a great opportunity to showcase our community," said Penny, who now serves as the first Black city manager of Rocky Mount.

"The event also gives a chance for folks to come into our community and enjoy CIAA football and fellowship."

Penny said he is excited for the large following WSSU brings and looks forward to everyone commuting from Winston-Salem and enjoying what Rocky Mount has to offer.

Second-year head football coach Kienus Boulware said this year’s game will be his fifth time coaching in the Classic, but his first with WSSU.

"It’s an electrifying atmosphere," Boulware said.

It’s full of tailgating, and there’s probably just as many people outside the gate that will be in the stands."

In regards to what it means for WSSU to be involved in such a thrilling atmosphere for the first time, Boulware said, "It’s no different from any other game for us."

Boulware sees the Classic as an opportunity for WSSU football to advertise its brand to Rocky Mount.

"We might even be able to land some future students to the University," Boulware said.

WSSU athletic director Tonia Walker said, "We’re always looking to paint the city and the stadium red wherever we go."

She anticipates being a part of the Classic and said it will greatly benefit the athletic department and the WSSU community.

The Classic is a series of events for the community from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26, including a golf challenge, college and regional bands and a variety of social activities.