N.C. A&T football keeps on truckin'
By Rob Daniels
Staff Writer
THOMASVILLE, Ga. -- After nine hours of (mostly) interstates, insufficient breaks, tested brakes, spotty television reception and goofy CB banter, Theron Thomas and Anthony Morgan crossed the finish line Thursday night. Only there was no checkered flag, and they sure didn't do donuts in any infield.
And they didn't care.
Friday, it was a hotel parking lot adjacent to an Office Depot and 42 miles north of the game site. Today, they pull through the gates of Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla., where N.C. A&T's football team faces Florida A&M. But only after managers have unloaded 13 tons of equipment and fans of both teams have cheered the arrival of a giant blue truck that serves as Aggie Pride on 18 wheels.
"When you see the tailgating areas and visit different schools and everybody's tooting and waving for you, it's like a parade," said Thomas, A&T's equipment manager for two decades. "Folks are jumping for joy. They love it. (They) take pictures, stand around and marvel. That's the reward. That's what makes it fun."
A&T's is the only athletics department in the MEAC with its own freight-bearing vehicle of this size, and this one happens to have pictures of players, the menacing bulldog logo and the university's Web site,
www.ncat.edu, emblazoned on it. Metaphorically speaking, the football team (2-4 MEAC, 3-6) is limping into today's game. But at least its gear will get there in style.
The star of the show is the vehicle, which carried frozen goods for Harris Teeter in its previous life. That was before the grocery-store chain donated it to the school in early 2004 and the N.C. A&T University Foundation subsidized the paint job and some maintenance.
"It's great advertising," Aggies coach George Small said.
The hauler has a TV with rabbit ears; two bunk beds for the two-day drives, such as last year's excursion to Alcorn (Miss.) State; and a CB radio.
Morgan, a veteran with 1.5 million miles to his name, does the driving because Thomas isn't licensed to operate such a ponderous vehicle. And, well, because the job tends to lose its romance after a few dozen trips to Florida and back.
"It was exciting when I started," said Morgan, a private driver working under a subcontracting arrangement with A&T. "But now it's work."
Morgan is to tight corners what Jerry Rice was to pass routes.
"I've seen him U-turn this truck in spots that would have been tough for a Volkswagen," Thomas said. "He can do it. He can wheel."
Something else seldom seen by the public is the process of loading and unloading the hauler. It's a joint venture among the players, coaches, team managers and Thomas.
There is a science to the packing. Just as in the move of the contents of the family home, there must be an order to things, Thomas said.
"If I'm not at the truck," he said, "kids will just put stuff in there. And then you have to empty the truck to put stuff back in. It's like putting on your shoes without putting on your socks."
But this time, the process worked flawlessly. The truck led the Aggie caravan down I-85 and was followed closely by a 15-passenger van driven by Tia L. Uitenham, a cashier in the A&T ticket office. The team bus, filled with players and coaches, came last.
They all pulled into the Comfort Inn of Thomasville late Thursday night, and they'll finish the trip to Tallahassee today. All the while, the caravan will draw curious looks from other southbound drivers on U.S. 319. And after the game, it will turn around and head back to Greensboro under the cover of night.
"It's not just a moving billboard," Thomas said. "All of this has a meaning. There's a purpose for everything I do. And the purpose is the kids first."
