Two years ago, a friend gave me two tickets to a Florida State-Maryland football game. My brother and I went, and we had the absolute best time anyone could possibly have.
The atmosphere at that game was electric. You could literally feel the excitement in the air as 82,000-plus people were on their feet, screaming, cheering and carrying on. The whole stadium was doing that silly tomahawk chop and chanting a war song while the band played. I don’t like Florida State and I hate that stupid war song of theirs, but being in the middle of it was absolutely amazing. And as a die-hard football fan, I can’t deny that the experience I had was great.
The next weekend, I had to cover a FAMU football game. Needless to say, the atmosphere was vastly different and to tell you the truth, I don’t even remember who FAMU played that weekend.
FAMU had an opportunity to change all of that and really spark some excitement into this school by going to Division I-A. We really had a chance to put FAMU’s name on the map and most importantly, give the student body a genuine college football experience.
Instead, we’re heading back to the MEAC to play a bunch of Howards and Hamptons, with a crowd that’s more interested in the halftime show than in the actual game.
Thank you, FAMU, for ruining what could’ve potentially been the best thing to happen to this school since – well, ever.
FAMU in Division I-A would have been amazing. We actually had the University of Oklahoma – the 2000 National Champs, the 2003 national runner-up and the number one team in the nation for 90 percent of the football season last year – signed to come to Bragg Memorial Stadium in 2005.
Imagine coach Bob Stoops roaming one sideline, coach Billy Joe on the other. How crazy would that have been?
There would have been a buzz in this town that you only feel when Florida State plays.
Maybe ESPN might have even covered the game. But we’ll never know.
So thank you FAMU, for depriving the student body of the opportunity to see real, big time college football in person.
Thank you, FAMU for making me the butt of jokes from my friends who go to FSU and the University of Miami.
Thank you FAMU, for making Rattler football, and Rattler sports in general, uninteresting again.