Great Traditions Meet In Princeton

Friday, October 05, 2007

From Roscoe Nance of USA Today & Craig Haley of the Times of Trenton

Princeton hosts the Hampton Pirates in a non-League football game on Saturday and it is drawing lots of interest, including a story in today's USA Today.

Hampton -- the defending champ of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference -- will be Princeton's first opponent from a historically black college or university, It is only the second time an Ivy League school has faced an HBCU [Yale defeated Morgan State 41-0 in 1984].

"The thought occurred to me about three or four years ago that it would be a terrific opportunity for Princeton to play a MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) school," Princeton director of athletics Gary Walters told Craig Haley of the Times of Trenton.

"That it would send the right signals to the broader community that when the university talks about the concept of diversity that the athletic department is totally committed to it. Consequently, I called President (Dr. William R.) Harvey at Hampton and told him about the idea of playing us, and he readily agreed."

Special events will surround the game, including an open house at Princeton's new Center for African American Studies in Stanhope Hall, from 10 am-1 pm, and a lecture by Prof. Valerie Smith titled "Bring the Pain: The Politics of Black Comedy and Satire in the Post Civil Rights Era," at 11 a.m. in Room 101 of McCormick Hall.

There also is a tailgate party planned from 1-3:30 p.m. on Fitz/Randolph Road, sponsored by the Association of Black Princeton Alumni, The Black Student Union, The Black Graduate Caucus and Community House, which serves as a mechanism for community service where creative ideas are turned into projects.

"This is really a great event," said Joe Robinson, a member of the ABPA board of directors, who played for the Princeton football program before he graduated in 2005.

"I'm a Princeton football fan first. This is just another opportunity for the association to reach out to people, a celebration of the diversity of Princeton University -- how far athletics can reach."

For Nance's full story from USA Today, please click here.

For Haley's full story from the Times of Trenton, please click here.

For a video about the game from Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, please click here. (Allow a minute for the video to load!)