Money, recruiting, scouting — and pride: Why NC Central is playing football against UNC

It’s 7 p.m. at North Carolina Central University’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium when the sun begins to set in the distance. Beyond the bleachers where three members of the dance squad — in matching white T-shirts and black leggings — are practicing.

Beyond the stadium seats where neighbors, the so-called “bleacher coaches” who attend nearly every practice, scatter the stands. Beyond the “big big building.” That’s what coach Trei Oliver calls the University’s administrative building as he points beyond the west side of the stadium.

“They can answer all of those questions,” Oliver said with a laugh when asked about his team’s finances. “That’s outside of my tax bracket. I coach football.”

But Oliver knows that finances are intrinsically tied to his role as a head football coach. Saturday — when the Eagles march into Kenan Stadium to take on North Carolina and take home a six-figure payout — is the latest example of that.

NCCU Deputy Athletic Director Chris Jones praised Oliver for his scheduling efforts. Playing opponents like UNC, Jones said, has a significant impact on the athletic department as a whole.

According to a game contract obtained by The News & Observer, UNC is paying NCCU a $430,000 guarantee for its participation Saturday. The contract was signed by North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham and former NCCU athletic director Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree in May 2022.

“Those are money games, right?” Jones said. “And those games alone can really help supplement your financial budget for the entire year.”

NCCU gains experience ... and money

UNC head coach Mack Brown said the NCCU-UNC football game is intended to be a celebration of HBCUs. Honorary captains include the late Bishop Harris, Bill Hayes and George Smith. But, much like the Tar Heels’ tilt against Florida A&M in 2022, the financial implications of the matchup loom large.

Ahead of that game, FAMU president Larry Robinson had to convince an injury-ridden Rattlers squad to make the trip to Chapel Hill. The monetary consequences of not playing and the fiscal health of the entire athletic department were too grim to overcome.

Athletic expenses surpass revenues at the overwhelming majority of Division I programs. NCCU is no exception. Athletic director Skip Perkins, appointed in June 2022, faces myriad financial issues — a budget deficit, an unfavorable sponsorship deal with Peak Sports, a $500,000 settlement with Duke Health, and exorbitant recruiting spending that went unchecked for years, according to a report by The Charlotte Post .

Perkins did not respond to requests by the News & Observer to comment for this story.

The NCCU football program, as with most FCS schools, continues to receive increased investment. According to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database , the department’s overall budget has shrunk — down 12% to $12.18 million from 2018 to 2023 — yet football spending has risen by $700,000 in the same period, totaling $4.6 million in 2023. This has meant reallocating resources even as the athletic department operates at a deficit, putting additional pressure on the school to support its sports programs.

And, for the football team, this means scheduling games against top-tier programs like UNC to help prop up other sports at NCCU.

“We know that they (UNC) obviously have a much bigger budget and they have more scholarships,” Oliver said. “That’s what happens when you play up. But, you know, at the same time, we signed a contract because we’re looking forward to playing the game. And at the end of the day, football is football… we’ve won games where we were outmatched and outmanned before.

We know it’s tough but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Nothing is handed to these Eagles. The football team conducts practices on just one field, sometimes spilling over to the neighboring track. And they practice in their own stadium — no fancy indoor facility with fans providing a breeze or a seemingly omnipresent coaches’ voice booming over the loudspeakers.

Just Oliver and his whistle, a handful of coordinators and assistants, their players and the culture they’ve built.

Winning pays

Oliver, dressed in gray school gear from head to toe, leans with one hand placed atop an NCCU-branded golf cart. His legs are crossed. He speaks with comfort and candor after a midweek practice.

If Oliver appears to be at home, that’s because he is.

His parents are NCCU alumni, his father having played football there in the 1960s. Oliver’s wife, Yvette, is also a Central graduate.

Oliver, a decorated defensive back and punter as an Eagle, returned to Central to serve as the program’s 24th head coach in December 2018. In four seasons, (the 2020 campaign was canceled due to COVID-19) he’s led the Eagles to a 29-18 record. They won a share of the 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title before defeating No. 5 Jackson State in the Cricket Celebration Bowl for the HBCU national championship.

“I love my school,” he said. “It’s not about the money … it’s about my people. People now know about North Carolina Central University.”

But, in many cases, it is about the money. At a school like NCCU, it has to be.

Oliver can look down and see physical evidence of that — there’s new turf below his feet at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. That overdue renovation was kickstarted thanks to more than $750,000 earned by winning the Celebration Bowl.

“Everybody wants to be associated with a winner,” Oliver said. “The alums have really been contributing and helping support the program financially since we’ve been winning, so hopefully we keep those winning ways up and folks continue to support us financially.”

Oliver engages alumni, fans

Phillip Umstead, 74, is one of those alumni. He ran track and played football at Central and has stayed close to the program — regularly attending practices and donating to the athletic department to help provide football scholarships.

Umstead said upon Oliver’s hiring, the head coach gathered alumni donors — old and young — to the LeRoy T. Walker Physical Education and Recreation Complex on campus for a meeting.

“He put us on one accord,” Umstead said. “We’ve all realized the job we have to do together. He’s made that mindset permanent in North Carolina Central University. So everybody’s excited and we’re looking forward to developing.”

This summer, Oliver helped champion the revival of the Eagle Express, a caravan-style coaches tour allowing NCCU athletics to connect with alumni in key regions with large bases of support, including Durham, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C.

Despite being in the thick of spring ball and camp, Oliver made sure to attend every stop on the tour, Jones said.

“Having someone like Coach Oliver around and kind of being an ambassador for our institution and for our football program — I couldn’t think of a better person,” Jones said.

Next up for NCCU? Redoing the decades-old locker room facility, putting up a new scoreboard beyond the south end zone, and building a football field house encompassing the coaches’ offices, a new weight room and training room. NCCU Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon has placed the football field house at the top of her priority list, Oliver said.

“We’re going to continue… one bite at a time,” Jones said. “We’re going to keep trekking. We’re going to continue telling our story and I’m going to do everything I can to put Coach Oliver in the best situation to be successful.”

‘Paint Chapel Hill maroon’

When playing FBS programs, Oliver said, NCCU’s biggest focus is to give itself a chance in the opening minutes. Or, in other words, to not repeat the UCLA game.

During Central’s game in Los Angeles last year, the Bruins’ lead ballooned to 35 points in the first quarter. UCLA clobbered the Eagles, 59-7.

“That’s exactly what we were trying to avoid,” Oliver said following the loss.

So why play UCLA — or UNC? Beyond the payout, what’s the benefit for the football team?

“We want to see where our program is,” Oliver said, “and how we rank against an FBS opponent.”

The head coach said another reason for playing FBS opponents is the NFL scouting opportunity it provides his players.

It’s part of a recruiting pitch to future athletes — come here and you’ll have the chance to play Power Four schools and prove yourself.

“When the NFL scouts come in here, they want to see us play against those FBS schools,” Oliver said. “They don’t want to evaluate our guys playing against Division II or lower-level FCS schools. We’ve had guys that play well against UCLA, the scouts watch the film and it helped get the opportunity for them to make it to the next level.”

But the Eagles aren’t traveling to Chapel Hill just for a payout or to boost their individual highlight reels. There’s mutual respect between Oliver and Mack Brown — the two sat beside each other at a local fundraiser over the summer and shared praises of each other ahead of this Saturday.

“I really love what Coach Oliver does for the kids,” Brown said Monday. “He’s got such a great personality… he’s so funny. He’s smart, he’s driven and he’s done a great job of elevating the program. So I really admire what I see and I think he’s going to have a great career in this business.”

This isn’t just a payday for the Eagles. Oliver has the full intent of trying to upset UNC, and it’s clear his players believe it. He’s the kind of coach that, as defensive lineman Jayden Taylor put it, “you’ll run through a wall for.”

“It’s going to be a tall task,” Oliver said. “It’s going to be an uphill battle for us. But God forbid we win that game.

“We’re going to paint Chapel Hill maroon and gray.”

NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com