HAMPTON, Virginia -- As a 10-year-old ballboy on the sideline, Hampton native Devan Hill remembers
being awe-struck by the atmosphere surrounding a game in which he later played
and now coaches.
Orlando Goodhope followed the lead of older players from his Norfolk
neighborhood and then got the thrill of playing against young men he practically
idolized.
Donovan Rose embodies one of college football's fiercest and most familial
rivalries, growing up a few miles from one campus and spending much of his
professional life at the other.
Hampton and Norfolk State renew their annual rivalry 1 p.m. Saturday at
Armstrong Stadium, the 50th meeting between programs that know each other
intimately.
"In my mind, it's huge because of the tradition and the location of the two
schools," former Hampton
U. and NFL wide receiver Terrence Warren said. "For decades, this rivalry
has played out in backyards all over Hampton
Roads. For me, it was a rite of passage to be part of this game."
Warren, a Suffolk native, was well aware of the rivalry growing up. Suffolk,
he said, was Norfolk State territory, and he remembers Saturday caravans to see
the Spartans. He eventually chose Hampton because of its track program and later
turned to football because of the challenge. No game, he said, was bigger than
Hampton-Norfolk State.
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