WSSU Rams fall: ‘Sometimes the bear wins’

FLORENCE, ALA - Nearly 4,500 fans who cheered for Winston-Salem State University for more than three hours Saturday left Braly Municipal Stadium dejected after Rams’ 35-7 loss to Valdosta State, who won the NCAA Division II National Championship in football.

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Chancellor Donald Reaves said he wished the Rams had won the game that would have made WSSU the first historically black college or university to win a Division II national championship on the gridiron.

“This experience means an awful lot to our fans,” Reaves said as he stood with other WSSU fans on the field after the game.

“It was a tough game. When you get into a fight with a bear, sometimes the bear wins,” Reaves said. “These young men (WSSU players) brought this team a long, long way. They don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”

The Rams’ fans clapped and cheered when the ESPN reporter Paul Carcaterra congratulated WSSU for being the national champion runners-up. Most of the players then walked to the locker room. Some lingered on the field near their end zone to greet relatives and fans who attended the game.

WSSU’s contingent was among the 7,527 spectators ...

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