For all the jokes and criticisms about MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas over the years, the conference continues to be a leader in HBCU sports management.

The MEAC was the first conference to institute instant replay in football and the first to use wireless headsets.

And when it comes to football luncheons, the conference has it going on.

I admit I’ve never been to a SWAC luncheon, although I’ve watched it on video stream, or the SIAC. The CIAA is not even on the same level.

What is so special about the luncheon? Everything. From the time you walk into the room, there’s an aura that the luncheon is not just some event that’s been put together because the conference office feels obligated, but that it really means something.

The coaches may hate it – they hate everything – but the student-athletes are treated like royalty and with respect. And so is the media.

ESPN color analyst Jay Walker was there, interviewing all the players and coaches; photo shoots were going on everywhere; and bigwigs from the Air Force Celebration Bowl were mingling with the crowd (we need to discuss advertising with the black media).

The student-athletes (two from each school) were paraded and introduced to the banquet crowd – before the coaches – and South Carolina State coach emeritus Willie Jeffries kept us all in stitches. He is never going to be replaced.

“Did you all know that President Obama was pulling for the MEAC in the Celebration Bowl?” he asked a skeptical crowd. “He always roots for MEAC teams. You know why? Because he won every state in the MEAC during his (first) presidential run. He lost every state in the SWAC.”

The luncheon really is a signature event and worth the three-and-a-half hour drive from Raleigh.

Bowl fever
It’s been seven months since the inaugural Celebration Bowl aired on ABC in December, and the conference is still “doing fine on Cloud Nine.”

“The look on our student-athletes’ faces said it all,” Thomas said about the weekend of events. “There was something for everybody to enjoy – from the student-athletes on down to the coaches and everybody had a wonderful time.”
N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway agreed.

“For our players, I thought it was an outstanding experience,” he said. “But not only for us but for our fans. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.”

Of course, it always helps when you win the game and take the black college national championship title.

This seat is taken
Unlike in years past, each coach was interviewed individually. As they waited their turn, most mingled in the lobby outside the interview room. Quite noticeably, Broadway sat and conversed with several coaches, while N.C. Central coach Jerry Mack stood off a ways minding his own business.

It was obvious Broadway and Mack were not in the mood to “small talk” each other. The Eagles/Aggies rivalry has really heated up since Mack’s arrival. NCCU has a 2-0 record under his tenure, and Broadway can downplay it all he wants, but it’s gotta be driving him nuts. Not to mention Aggie fans won’t let him forget, and Mack has already prognosticated that the Eagles will win again this year.

So, while the two had no choice but to sit together on the podium (coaches sit in alphabetical order), off screen it’s you go your way and I’ll go mine. Until Nov. 19.

Now, aren’t you ready for some football?

Bonitta Best is sports editor at The Triangle Tribune in Durham.

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