Another fabulous Durham Football Season is here for Duke University and North Carolina Central University.  These Bull City teams are ready to “tackle” a new season. 

David Cutcliffe, the 2013 National Coach of the Year who has earned both
ACC and SEC Coach of the Year honors in a distinguished career that includes the mentoring of Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, was named Duke University’s 21st head football coach on December 15, 2007.  Cutcliffe is 40-48 (.455) in seven seasons at Duke and owns an overall head coaching ledger of 84-77 (.522). Cutcliffe’s 40 victories in seven years with the Blue Devils are 30 more than the program’s total in the previous eight seasons (2000-07) combined.

2015 Duke Quarterback Thomas Sirk is the only active quarterback nationally to have accounted for 10+ total touchdowns in 2014 as an exclusive reserve (zero starts) and the only active quarterback nationally to have produced over two game-winning touchdowns (rush or pass) in the fourth quarter or in overtime in 2014 as an exclusive reserve (zero starts).

A strong feeling of optimism surrounds North Carolina Central University heading into the2015 football campaign. Fifteen starters return from a team that captured a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and posted the most wins as a Division I-FCS program a year ago.

In 2014, under the leadership of rookie head coach Jerry Mack, NCCU football posted seven victories, including the program’s first win over a nationally-ranked FCS opponent.   With a season as head mentor under his belt, Mack exudes confidence about the direction of the NCCU football program as he leads the Eagles into
the next chapter with the motto “Leave No Doubt” in the forefront.

“It means that we don’t want to have any regrets in anything we do,” said
Mack. “You never know when your last play is. You never know what is
going to happen from game-to-game.  I use this reference with our team
all the time – just because we had some success last year and we beat
some people, does not mean you are going to get that victory the next
year, because you have to play the game.  We are going to take it one
rep at a time, one step at a time, and leave no doubt about anything
that we do on and off the field. So don’t take anything for granted.”

Mack explained, “I don’t want people to take it the wrong way and think that we are cocky and saying that we are going to win the championship, because that’s not
what it’s really about. It’s about taking one play at a time and making
sure you leave no doubt about what you put forth on that field at that
point and time.”

“Our players are extremely competitive and they always play hard until the whistle
blows,” stated Mack. “What I want people to know when they play North
Carolina Central is you’re going to get a team that is going to play
hard, that is going to give it their all on the field down-in and
down-out. And when you get a group of young men that are playing hard,
good things will happen.”
 
Reflecting back, Coach Mack recalled, “When you look at our team last year, we were not overly dominant in offense, defense or special teams, but as a team we all played well. That’s where we made some extreme strides.”

When asked about the keys to a successful football season, Mack responded, “We have to execute well. We talk about starting, executing and finishing. We want to start games off extremely well, we want to start fast out of the gate.  We want to execute well, that means we want to be disciplined, we want to be a sound football team in all aspects of what we do. And we want to be sure that we are able to finish games.
We want to learn from last year’s mistakes and be able to close games
out the way we’re supposed to close them out. Those three things are
very important to us. To understand the discipline, effort and passion
that it’s going to take every game to get that win.” 

North Carolina Central University Athletics

2015 Football Schedule

On Saturday, September 12, North Carolina Central University plays against Duke University at Duke’s new Wallace Wade Stadium.  No matter which side you root for, the game is sure to be intense as these local rivals compete against each other.

Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast of Durham, North Carolina invites you to enjoy charming Southern hospitality, luxurious amenities, and fresh, gourmet breakfasts.  We  are honored to be named the #1 black-owned bed and breakfast in America (according to Black Enterprise magazine).  We thank our lovely guests whose great reviews made this possible.  We invite you to visit Morehead Manor in Durham for the first time or to return again for another fun stay.