North Carolina A&T had the highest attended homecoming game on the East Coast in 2014.
By Steven J. Gaither
Now that there are now more home games for the remaining HBCUs in college football, we’re taking a look back at the season. Homecoming is pretty much the biggest game for all HBCUs, so we figured we’d check the stats.
Based off the attendance numbers posted in football box scores, Tuskegee edged out Tennessee State for the highest attended HBCU homecoming of 2014. More than 31,000 filed into Cleve Abbott Stadium while TSU packed just under 30k into LP Field. The smallest number we were able to find was 869 reported by Livingstone College against Bowie State.
Seven schools recorded more than 20,000 fans, and three of those (Jackson State, Southern and Alabama A&M) hail from the SWAC.
WSSU’s 16,555 attendees doubled its next CIAA competitor.
CIAA
Bowie State (vs. Virginia State) 3,317 Elizabeth City State (vs. Chowan) 4,967 Fayetteville State (vs. Livingstone) 3,133 Johnson C. Smith (vs. St. Augustine’s): 1,225 Lincoln (vs. Elizabeth City State): 2,100 Livingstone (vs. Bowie State): 869 Shaw (vs. Johnson C. Smith): 6,587 St. Augustine’s (vs. Livingstone) 3,221 Virginia State (vs. Lincoln) 3,270
Virginia Union (vs. Lincoln) 7,210 Winston-Salem State (vs. St. Aug): 16,555
NCCU ranked third in homecoming attendance among MEAC schools.
MEAC
Bethune-Cookman (vs. Howard): 10,247 Delaware State (vs. NC A&T): 6,237 Florida A&M (vs. Norfolk State): 18,663 Hampton (vs. Morgan State): 8,000 Howard (vs. FAMU): 7,062 Morgan State (vs. NCCU): 9,420 Norfolk State (vs. DSU): 11,260 North Carolina A&T (vs. FAMU): 21,500 North Carolina Central (vs. Hampton): 11,964 Savannah State (vs. Norfolk State) 5,268 South Carolina State (vs. Savannah State): 10,013
SIAC
Albany State (vs. Clark Atlanta): 9,736 Benedict (vs. Morehouse): 8,749 Central State (vs. Concordia): 3,692 Clark Atlanta (vs. Paine) 23,591 Fort Valley State (vs. Paine): 15,042 Kentucky State (vs. Miles College): 6,982 Paine (vs. Edward Waters): 1,346 Miles (vs. Central State): 10,045 Morehouse (Albany State): 11,234 Tuskegee (vs. Kentucky State) 31,756
SWAC
Alabama A&M (vs. Grambling State): 21,254 Alabama State (vs. Stillman): 13,156 Alcorn State (vs. Texas Southern): 15,513 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (vs. Prairie View): 12,337 Grambling State (vs. UAPB): 10,000 Mississippi Valley State (vs. Prairie View); 7,829 Jackson State (vs. Mississippi Valley): 21,078 Prairie View (vs. Alabama State): 6,257 Southern (vs. UAPB): 23,091 Texas Southern (vs. UAPB): 8,210
OTHER
Tennessee State (vs. FAMU): 29,225 Cheyney (vs. Lock Haven): 3,281 Lincoln (MO) (vs. Texas College): 4,136