CIAA Championship Coming to Virginia

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) has selected 12 former conference football players to be recognized as Legends of CIAA Football prior to kickoff at the 2017 Football Championship game at Salem Stadium on Saturday, November 11. Kickoff of the championship game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Salem, Virginia. 

The CIAA will celebrate the accomplishments of each player in support of its historic 125th anniversary of Black college football, which marks the recording of the first-ever game between two of its institutions–Johnson C. Smith University, then named Biddle University, and Livingstone College.

“The CIAA is rich in tradition and strong in leadership,” said Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “In honoring the Legends of CIAA Football, we celebrate and thank them for the impact they have had on our conference. Part of our foundation and success is attributed to these phenomenal former players and their contributions.”

The following former student-athletes from each of the conference’s member institutions have been selected as Legends of CIAA Football:

• Isaac Redman, Bowie State University

• Robert Holland, Chowan University

• Johnnie Walton, Elizabeth City State University

• Bryan Holliday, Fayetteville State University

• Bruce Duke, Johnson C. Smith University

• Ben Coates, Livingstone College

• Leo Lewis (posthumously honored), Lincoln University

• Robert Headen, Saint Augustine’s University

• Darnell Evans, Shaw University

• George Leonard, Virginia State University

• Sherman Lea, Virginia Union University

• Anthony Blaylock, Winston-Salem State University

Tickets for the 2017 Football Championship game are still on sale and can be purchased at TheCIAA.com. Special rates for students and youth ages 6 to 14 are available. Admission for children ages 5 and under is free.

About the CIAA: Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first African American athletic conference and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Chowan University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University and Winston-Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com. For more information on the CIAA Basketball Tournament, visit CIAATournament.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram