CANTON, OHIO – Winston-Salem State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) founded in 1892 in North Carolina, will send its football team to Canton next Labor Day weekend for the third Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame and WSSU jointly announced the Rams’ participation in the Classic on Friday. In North Carolina, the Rams’ athletic administration also announced that nine-year NFL veteran Robert Massey had been promoted from the position of interim head coach to head coach.
The 2022 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic tentatively is scheduled for Sept. 4 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
WSSU’s opponent, along with ticket information and other details about the 2022 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic weekend, will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are thrilled to host Winston-Salem State University in the third Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic,” said Adrian Allison, Chief Relationship Officer at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “Fans of the Classic can expect Coach Massey to bring an energetic team ready to kick off its season in the shadow of the shrine of football. Additionally, the school’s ‘Red Sea of Sound’ band will continue the tradition of having fans experience one of the best halftimes in sports.”
Last season, the Rams finished in third place in the Southern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association with Massey serving under the title of interim head coach.
Massey’s coaching resume includes four seasons in the high school ranks (1999-2002) before he joined North Carolina Central (2003-04) to coach receivers and defensive backs. He then coached at Livingstone College (interim head coach, 2005-06) and Shaw University (assistant coach and head coach, 2007-2015) before moving to WSSU.
He has been part of four coaching staffs to win CIAA championships.
Massey played nine seasons in the National Football League following his collegiate career at North Carolina Central, where he was a standout defensive back who earned All-CIAA honors twice and All-American honors as a senior. He ended his playing days third on the team’s career interception list.
Selected in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, Massey was named to the 1989 NFL All-Rookie Team after starting all 16 games and contributing five interceptions on a team that finished with a 9-7 record. He also played for the Cardinals, Lions, Jaguars and Giants.
Another NFL Legend, Eddie George, made his college coaching debut in Canton this year with Tennessee State. His Tigers fell to the Grambling State Tigers 16-10 in the second Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic.
In the inaugural Classic in 2019, Alabama A&M topped Morehouse 35-30 on a last-second touchdown pass.
The game in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.