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It’s time for the annual pilgrimage of some 25,000 plus alumni to their educational and social birthplace, located at 1601 East Market Street. They will come to reminisce about their days of youthful shenanigans, reunite with old friends and professors and visit the campus they frequented so many years ago. They will also take pause and remember those that are no longer with us. There will be joyful laughter intermixed with handshakes, hugs, and kisses. There will be exchanging of addresses, photos, and phone numbers. They will rise early Saturday morning as they have for the last 80 years and line the parade routes shortly after sunrise. Young toddlers will be in tow; sitting atop of their parents shoulders bouncing up down with excited anticipation while all the while wondering what all the fuss is about. The older children will hear the sound of an approaching drum cadence, the flashing of blue and red lights from police cars and fire trucks and then rush from the perch from the sidewalks of Sullivan Street to be the first to catch a glimpse of A&T’s famed Blue and Gold Marching Machine. They’ll scream in delight as they scramble to grab the candy tossed into the crowd from the floats and cars carrying the seemingly infinite number of beauty queens, clubs, fraternities, sororities, businesses, and neighborhood and social clubs all strutting the stuff clad in their blue and gold. They will show their allegiance to a legacy of leadership, greatness, and the history of an iconic institution who’s courageous students fired the first shot of the non-violent movement for black liberation from segregation in the 1960s with the now famous Woolworth sit-ins. The Greek brothers and sisters will carry out their step shows and chants and stand proudly on their plots along the old campus. Beginning in front of the band room down to Williams Hall then finally looping beside Bluford Library, this was known in my day as fraternity row. Yes, this is the week that Aggies from all over the country and the world come together to celebrate a special kind of kinship, a unique commonness that ties so many people together from such diverse backgrounds and circumstance, held together by an undying love for an institution that by its very nature is…. well is family. North Carolina A&T is unlike another place on the planet. To be an Aggie is to be special. You share a kinship with thousands who have passed through its hallways. I can’t help retelling the days of sweating out all-nighters to finish those term papers and to get ready for those exams the next day, of roommates gathering up their loose change on late Saturday nights waiting for the hotdog man or the Muslim brothers with their fish sandwiches and bean pies to announce their entrance into Scott Hall, or the long treks over to Bennett College for “Fun Night.” Money was scarce in those days but I still remember inviting the cute girl from Morrison Hall to the student union after a movie in Harrison Auditorium for that bologna and cheese whooper . And if you were lucky to have a few extra dollars by chance, you definitely upgraded to the ham and cheese which almost always guaranteed you a second chance date with that special girl. Don’t laugh. That’s how I met and kept my wife of some 25 years now. It's time for another A&T Homecoming and there's not another college homecoming that can compete not just because of the shows, the concerts, or the occasional star that might show up in crowd in the stadium at halftime, but because of the people. Real people who stand with pride when they tell the world from where they hail. A special pride unto itself – It is Aggie Pride. Now on to the football game with Howard this weekend. These are two teams heading in different directions even through both rank at the bottom of the MEAC with a combined 1-11 record between the two schools. Howard was an experienced team heading into this season with a strong running game and dynamite defense but something disturbing has happened to them along the way. The Bison seem to be competitive but manage to shoot themselves in the foot at nearly every turn Howard has made an incredible amount of mistakes and miscues that has left it rather mediocre on offense. The similarities in fate between this Bison team and the A&T team of a year ago is downright deja vu. By contrast, A&T is like a baby trying to learn to walk after figuring out how to stand. They haven’t been close to victory yet but they have gotten progressively better with a team full of green freshmen and untried sophomores, little by little, especially defensively the last two games out. But unforced turnovers by an inconsistent offense and a lack of any real depth has proved to be too much to overcome, as witnessed by its 0-6 record. This game can go either way. Howard should win if you are strictly looking at individual talent, but talent alone is not enough. There has to be some chemistry on the field and the Bison haven’t shown much this season. The Aggies haven’t been anything near what everyone had hoped for, but they have hung tough and haven’t thrown in the towel. Not by a long shot. Home-field advantage will be at an all-time high this week and strong partisan participation by the crowd could go a long way in pumping the Aggies up just enough to get over them over the hump. A&T has lost 11 games in a row but this week I just have funny feeling the losing stops this weekend. Expect a big special team or defensive turnover to make the difference. If nothing else this homecoming crowd will have something to stay for to the end. Take the Aggies in a nail biter that will go down to the wire.
Prediction: N.C. A&T 21 .
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