Bluford Archives: The Road to Truist Stadium (Formerly Aggie Stadium)
Amid COVID-19, a sorely missed tradition of this year’s homecoming at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will be packing Truist Stadium.
For nearly 40 years, Aggies young and old have returned again and again for tailgates, the huge parades and cheering on the Aggies and the Blue & Gold Marching Machine. For many alumni, it is hard to imagine our university without its massive arena known as Aggie Stadium from 1981 to 2018, then BB&T Stadium until this year when BB&T and Sun Trust merged to become Truist. But for its first 90 years, A&T had no stadium.
In the earliest days of the A. and M. College that became A&T, most outdoor sports were played at Dudley Field. Named for James B. Dudley, A&T’s second president, these were the athletic grounds where Williams Cafeteria, Holland Hall and the Holland Bowl are today. A few games were also played at Cone Athletic Field and even at Winston-Salem City Fairgrounds. Between 1924 and 1927, when the Aggies produced a championship football team, they began playing to much larger crowds in World War I Memorial Stadium.
While A&T had many major championships in World War I Memorial Stadium, inconveniences grew over time. It was primarily a baseball stadium, the tracks for runners were too muddy when it rained, and there was an “abysmal” lack of public restrooms. Also, since the seats weren’t numbered it was hard for sports journalists to verify just how many people were attending the large games.
By the late 1960s, alumni began expressing strongly to President Lewis C. Dowdy the need for A&T to have its own state-of-the art stadium and new athletic grounds. In 1973, the A&T Board of Trustees passed a resolution to study the possibility of a new stadium building. A new committee led by athletic chair Cal Irvin reported that there was strong interest in a new stadium for the university.
By March 1975, the board announced a proposal for a new $1.3 million stadium to be completed that fall. More than $50,000 in pledges were received even before the official fundraising campaign began.
After a feasibility study was conducted, leaders realized that a fine stadium for growing crowds, MEAC varsity football, and national track meets would be more expensive and would take longer to develop. To meet the final cost of $3 million, a huge and very successful fundraising campaign was carried out by many dedicated Aggie faculty, staff, alumni, and local and national corporate donors. The groundbreaking ceremony took place June 11, 1977.
The completed stadium could sit 17,500 people and featured a Chancellor’s VIP room, concession stand, more restrooms, teaching stations and team rooms. Renovations over the years have cemented the stadium’s reputation as one of the best in the Piedmont Triad. Its architect was the legendary W. Edward Jenkins ‘49, an A&T engineering graduate who also designed McNair Hall and Williams Cafeteria.
The official dedication for the new stadium wasn’t until Nov. 28, 1981, but the very first game was Sept. 12, 1981. The game set a new attendance record as 23,000 people watched the Aggies defeat Winston-Salem State University 21- 14. The homecoming theme that year was “The Greatest Love for Aggieland is From an Aggie-At-Heart.”
While we will miss the joy of packing Truist Stadium in 2020, the theme of 1981 and the Aggie Pride felt 39 years ago over our new stadium is still very much alive.
For more information about Trust Stadium or other topics in A&T history, please visit our Digital Collections and Archives and Special Collections LibGuide. Our Aggie Digital Collections and Scholarship page now includes vintage commencement bulletins from 1909, and 1953-1979. You can also email the F.D. Bluford Library Archives and Special Collections at libraryarchives@ncat.edu.
