North Carolina A&T is preparing for a major change in HBCU athletics as longtime athletics director Earl Hilton is retiring this summer at the end of his contract, the university announced Tuesday.
A national search for North Carolina A&T’s next AD will begin immediately. Hilton will remain in place until a successor is identified and seated.
Hilton first took over on an interim basis in late 2010. He was named the permanent athletics director in February 2011. At the time, he inherited a department that university leaders said needed order and direction.
Earl Hilton leaves a major mark on North Carolina A&T
Hilton’s tenure covered one of the most successful eras in North Carolina A&T history. He oversaw 17 intercollegiate sports and guided the Aggies through rapid change in both HBCU and Division I athletics.
During his run, A&T football won four Celebration Bowls between 2015 and 2019. Those titles cemented the Aggies as one of the premier HBCU football programs of the era.
North Carolina A&T also thrived in other sports under Hilton. The school said the department earned more than 70 individual, team, conference, national and Olympic championships during his leadership. In 2021, Aggie track and field athletes brought home three Olympic medals in Tokyo, including two golds. In 2022, the men’s indoor track and field team finished second nationally, the best indoor finish ever by a Division I HBCU.
The university also credited Hilton with major gains off the field. A&T said student-athlete graduation rates increased by more than 51 percent, while annual giving to athletics rose by more than 15 times.
North Carolina A&T navigated change under Hilton
Hilton also led North Carolina A&T through two conference moves. The Aggies left the MEAC for the Big South in 2020 before joining the Coastal Athletic Association in 2022. The university said those moves were designed to align A&T with peer research institutions while expanding exposure for its sports programs.
His work drew national recognition in 2019, when he was named an Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year for FCS institutions.
Chancellor James R. Martin II praised Hilton’s leadership in the university release, saying North Carolina A&T was “tremendously grateful” for his service and his steady hand during a turbulent period in college athletics. Hilton said it had been his “singular privilege” to work with Aggie student-athletes, coaches, staff, boosters and fans.
Now one of the most visible jobs in HBCU athletics is about to open, and North Carolina A&T’s next hire will shape the Aggies’ future in a new era.