Persevering with our collection on hypothetical Celebration Bowl matchups between HBCU champions from the MEAC and SWAC from 2000 to 2014, we flip our consideration to the 2001 season. This collection reimagines annual showdowns between HBCU convention champions, ranging from 2000—the 12 months following the ultimate Heritage Bowl, which concluded after the 1999 season.
2001 MEAC Champion: Florida A&M Rattlers
Total Document: 7–4
Convention Document: 7–1
Head Coach: Billy Joe (eighth season)
Postseason: NCAA Division I-AA First Spherical (Misplaced 60–35 to Georgia Southern)
Notable Victory: Defeated Bethune-Cookman 31–21 within the Florida Traditional
Florida A&M’s offense was led by quarterback Quinn Grey, who concluded his collegiate profession as one of many faculty’s all-time nice passers. Grey held faculty information in cross makes an attempt (1,113), completions (562), passing yards (7,378), and landing passes (57), and he twice earned All-Mid-Japanese Athletic Convention honors (2000, 2001), main the Rattlers to back-to-back MEAC titles.
? 2001 SWAC Champion: Grambling State Tigers
Total Document: 10–1
Convention Document: 6–1
Head Coach: Doug Williams (4th season)
Postseason: SWAC Championship Sport (Defeated Alabama State 38–31)
Nationwide Recognition: Ranked No. 8 in The Sports activities Community Ballot; acknowledged as black school nationwide champions
Grambling State’s offense was potent, averaging over 35 factors per sport. The Tigers’ solely loss got here in an in depth contest in opposition to Alabama State through the common season, which they avenged within the SWAC Championship Sport.
Grambling State and Florida A&M had been truly scheduled to face off that 12 months in what would have been a high-stakes midseason traditional sport.
The matchup was slated for the Riverfront Traditional in Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium, house of the NFL’s Bengals. Each groups had been 2–0 and ranked as the highest two HBCU applications within the nation on the time. The showdown had all of the makings of a Celebration Bowl preview—or, in our alternate historical past, a real take a look at of who must be topped HBCU nationwide champion.
Nevertheless, the sport was canceled within the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist assaults. The organizers made the announcement through a recorded message at their headquarters. The cancellation dealt a serious monetary blow, reportedly costing every faculty as much as $400,000.
This misplaced alternative disadvantaged followers of what may have been a defining second in HBCU soccer historical past. In our Celebration Bowl simulation, it leaves us with no direct head-to-head consequence between the 2 top-tier applications of that 12 months.
Hypothetical 2001 Celebration Bowl/HBCU Champ
Contemplating Grambling State’s superior general report, increased nationwide rating, and recognition as black school nationwide champions, they’d be the probably victors in a hypothetical 2001 Celebration Bowl matchup of Division I HBCU champions. Florida A&M’s postseason struggles, together with a big loss to Georgia Southern, additional tilt the scales in favor of Grambling State.Wikipedia
Projected Winner: Grambling State Tigers
Keep tuned as we proceed this collection, analyzing every season as much as 2014 to challenge potential Celebration Bowl outcomes and have fun the wealthy historical past of HBCU soccer.
