Historically black college football programs struggling to keep up

Photo Courtesy: Tennessee State University Athletics

Tennessee State’s Kadeem Edwards (#73) is the only Senior Bowl player from an HBCU, despite a history of producing legends. (Note: Jackson State's All-American defensive back Qua Cox was a late addition to the game after this article was published).  The 3-Times All-Ohio Valley Conference lineman Edwards, earned his Bachelor's Degree in December 2013 with Honors, in Human Performance and Sports Sciences with an overall 3.5 GPA.

MOBILE, Alabama  --   Kadeem Edwards ( Sanford, FL, Seminole H.S.) has a quarrel with a certain tradition, and for that, he may get struck down by a lightning bolt thrown by the lords of historically black college and university (HBCU) football.

It is sacrilegious not to bow to the spectacle of the bands at an HBCU football game, but Edwards takes a deep breath and says something sacrilegious anyway. He wishes the bands and the halftime extravaganza did not reign over the game.

Edwards is a big fan of the music. He appreciates the skill and the thrill of a show. He understands the culture and the allure of the HBCU halftime show and the postgame pageantry. The bands draw a crowd.

But he wants black college football to be about more than the bands.

He wants it to be more about the football again.

“The first time I saw half the people in the stands leave after the halftime show by the band, it upset me,” said Edwards, a 6-foot-4, 309-pound offensive guard who played at Tennessee State University in Nashville. “It was a little disrespectful.”

He sighed and shook his head slowly side to side.

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