Alabama HBCU sees return to football after eight decades

An Alabama-based HBCU is set to bring football back to campus after 80 years in an unconventional way. Through a partnership with Prep U Collegiate, Talladega College will enroll club football players. The new partnership will also bring college football back to the campus.

Talladega College President Willie L. Todd spoke about the higher ambitions of the partnership.

“This partnership represents much more than football. Those students participating in this sport will also have the opportunity to experience our commitment to academic excellence.”

Marqucee Richardson, who serves as president of Prep U Collegiate, also weighed in, saying, “This collaboration provides our student-athletes with a strong academic foundation and a meaningful collegiate experience both on and off the field,”

The partnership with Prep U represents another chapter in an intriguing athletics renaissance for the institution. In 2023, Talladega started a gymnastics program, securing massive national support and media attention. The team routinely made history alongside Fisk University, becoming the first HBCU gymnastics program to win an NCAA team competition. However, the program was cut after one season.

Talladega also once entertained bringing back football. The football team enjoyed a level of dominance in the 20th century. Being named the Black College National Champions in 1921 and 1922, however, the program was discontinued during World War II and never returned.

Tallaega conducted a feasibility study in 2021 that suggested that bringing back the football team would yield positive results. The study ultimately found that bringing back football would cause a surge in enrollment as well as donations and sponsorships.

It appears as if the new partnership is the first step in Talladega’s future on the gridiron.

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