FAYETTEVILLE STATE FOOTBALL - A RICH TRADITION

Fayetteville State has a long history as one of the premier football programs in North Carolina and the CIAA. The Broncos began playing football games as early as 1921, eventually joining the North Carolina Athletic Association in 1934. In 1940, Fayetteville State joined the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where it built a sturdy 47-29-3 record. Fayetteville State later left the EIAC in 1954 to join the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), where it has remained to this day as one of the hallmarks of the conference's history. Fayetteville State has won three CIAA Championships, each in the last decade, with titles in 2002, 2003, and 2009.

 

2002 Broncos head coach Kenny Phillips came to Fayetteville State in 2000 and quickly became the architect for what would become one of the CIAA's elite programs. In just his third season at the helm, Phillips led the Broncos to 10 victories in 2002, shaping a team that would go on to claim Fayetteville State's first CIAA football championship. The Broncos finished the season with just one regular season loss in a year that featured a stretch of seven straight wins, including a thrilling 30-26 victory in four overtimes over rival Winston-Salem State. The Broncos placed eight players on the CIAA's First Team All-Conference Squad after their 17-14 victory over Bowie State in the CIAA Championship in Winston-Salem, NC. Fayetteville State then advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs to cap a 10-2 season.
 

2003 The road to the CIAA Championship was a tad bumpier in 2003, with the Broncos opening the season with a 2-2 mark through four games. But Fayetteville State got on a roll after that, winning four of its next five games on its way to closing out the regular season. That was enough for the Broncos to earn a berth into the CIAA's title game against Virginia Union in Durham, NC. There, the Broncos knocked off the Panthers 23-19 to claim back-to-back championships. Fayetteville State finished the season 7-4 after making an appearance in the Pioneer Bowl against Albany State in Atlanta, GA, with five players earning selections to the CIAA's First Team All-Conference squad.
 

2009 The Broncos' third CIAA Championship season got off to a rocky start, with Fayetteville State dropping its first two games of the season by a combined eight points. The Broncos regrouped to win their next two games, but following yet another close loss, found themselves just 2-3 through five games. But that's when the stampede started. Fayetteville State won its last five games of the regular season to mirror its charging finishes of the previous two title seasons. Earning a trip to the CIAA Championship in Durham, NC, Fayetteville State thumped Bowie State 21-10 to claim the program's third championship in just seven years, establishing itself as one of the CIAA's marquee programs. Fayetteville State punched its ticket for another NCAA Division II Playoff appearance and finished the season 8-4 with a total of eight players being named to the CIAA's First and Second All-Conference Teams.


2022 Fayetteville State's Elton Andrew made a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Broncos a spectacular 31-28 win over Chowan on Saturday afternoon at Salem Stadium for Fayetteville State's fourth overall and Head Coach Richard Hayes' first CIAA Football Championship title. Quarterback Demari Daniels led Fayetteville State's passing attack with 188 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns and one interception. The signal caller also added 43 yards on the ground. After the game, Daniels was named the Food Lion's Most Valuable Player. Fayetteville State scored first with 10:37 left in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. Chowan tied it up at 7-7 before the Broncos responded with a 19-yard touchdown reception from Daniels to Elliott to jump back in front at 14-7. After the Hawks took a 21-14 lead, Fayetteville State responded with a touchdown to even the game at 21-21. Chowan scored to grab a 28-21 lead, but FSU scored again to tie it at 28-28.
 

Year	Champion		Runner-up		Stadium	City
2002	Fayetteville State	17	Bowie State	14	Bowman Gray Stadium	Winston-Salem, NC
2003	Fayetteville State	23	Virginia Union	19	O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium	Durham, NC
2004	Shaw	10	Fayetteville State	7	O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium	Durham, NC
2009	Fayetteville State	21	Bowie State	10	Durham County Stadium	Durham, NC
2017	Virginia State	42	Fayetteville State	19	Salem Stadium	Salem, VA
2018	Bowie State	30	Fayetteville State	10	Salem Stadium	Salem, VA
2019	Bowie State	23	Fayetteville State	7	Salem Stadium	Salem, VA
2021	Bowie State	17	Fayetteville State	7	Salem Stadium	Salem, VA
2022	Fayetteville State	31	Chowan	28	Salem Stadium	Salem, VA
2023	Virginia Union	21	Fayetteville State	10	Salem Stadium	Salem, VA