A North Carolina team won’t be guaranteed a spot in the CIAA football championship game this season. But the Old North State will host the title game again starting in 2025.
The CIAA announced recently it is doing away with the Southern Division-Northern Division format in football for 2024, instead grouping every team into one set of standings. The top two teams at the end of the conference season, regardless of school location, will advance to the CIAA title game.
The 2024 championship will be held in Salem, Va., the game’s host since 2017, on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m.
The CIAA finale will move from Salem to Durham County Memorial Stadium for 2025-2027, the league revealed last week. Durham has hosted past CIAA football title games (2008-12 and 2014-15) and currently hosts the CIAA track and field championships.
“The CIAA looks forward to returning to Durham County Memorial Stadium,” CIAA commissioner Jacqie McWilliams said. “Our recent media rights partnership with HBCU Go gives us the opportunity to showcase our top teams in a centralized location, again where the football championship has thrived in the past. The CIAA will have an opportunity to engage in the community beyond the game in a way that supports the mission of the conference.”
Past football title games in Durham have drawn more than 10,000 fans. Shaw current plays its home games at the stadium.
“Durham has great history with this event, and we are immensely proud to once again be hosting the CIAA Football Championship in Durham,” said Marcus Manning, executive director of the Durham Sports Commission. “We are dedicated to showcasing our vibrant community here in Durham, while also celebrating diversity and creating an unforgettable experience for fans, spectators, and student-athletes.”
The move to division-less play comes after St. Augustine’s announced earlier this year it would put its football program on hold while it deals with accreditation and financial issues. The Falcons’ absence left the CIAA at an unbalanced 11 teams in football — six in the Northern loop and five in the Southern.
–> READ MORE: The list of CIAA football champions from 1912-2023 (CIAA.com)
The CIAA has used divisional play in football for a majority of years since the 1970s. The league had an East-West set-up until moving to the Southern-Northern alignment in 2010.
Fayetteville State has made the CIAA championship game six years in a row by virtue of being the Southern champion. That division also included St. Aug’s, Shaw, Winston-Salem State, Johnson C. Smith and Livingstone — all located in the Old North State.
Elizabeth City State played in the Northern Division with out-of-state conference partners Virginia Union, Virginia State, Bluefield State, Lincoln and Bowie State. Now, all 11 teams will vie together for the two championship game bids (though some early season CIAA match-ups won’t count in the league standings, as league schools set up meetings to account for the loss of St. Augustine’s).
Virginia Union is the reigning CIAA champion after beating Fayetteville State in Salem last November. A Northern Division team has captured five of the last six CIAA titles, with FSU’s win over Chowan (no longer in the league) in 2022 as the only exception.
At least one North Carolina team has played in every CIAA title game since 2004. A North Carolina CIAA school has claimed 15 league titles in football since 2000.
Other football news coming out of the CIAA’s recent spring meetings (courtesy CIAA.com):
BCHOF Legacy Bowl (CIAA/SIAC) – The Board agreed, in collaboration with the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), that the CIAA/SIAC football champions will be invited to play in the NFL/BCHOF annually beginning in 2025 as part of the partnership. This will take place in lieu of the previously proposed “week zero” game between CIAA and SIAC.
Women’s Flag Football HBCU League – The conference will explore women’s flag football as a sponsored championship. The Board supports the growth of flag football and agreed that each institution interested should work directly with the conference regarding its interest and ability to secure funds through the NFL/RCX/NCAA to support their participation. The conference will poll membership for interest. The conference will continue to evaluate other sports interests, such as soccer, for consideration.
The CIAA has not yet announced dates for its annual football media days event. The showcase of coaches and players is expected to be in mid-July.
