As one of North Carolina Central cheer captains, Ke’Vaun Richardson, calls “Work It, Eagles!” for the rest of his team to follow, it can only mean one thing: North Carolina Central is ready for a touchdown.
This group could lead Eagle fans through this cheer in their sleep, he says.
The NCCU football team reigns supreme after defeating the Jackson State Tigers 41-34 in at this year’s Cricket Celebration Bowl in a nail-biting overtime showdown. After this victory, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) record at the Celebration Bowl is 6-1, and the Eagles have won their fourth Black College national championship.
“The ending of the game was just so exciting,” NCCU cheer captain Nakhiya Shearin said. “The confetti, then everyone running out into the middle of the field, was really nice to see.”
But what is a victory without the cheers led by NCCU Champagne? From the initial kickoff, through four hard-fought quarters and an overtime leaving Eagle fans on the edge of their seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the support shown by NCCU Champagne never wavered.
“Going in as the university representative and for the MEAC, then also with our university going in as the underdog, it means a lot to me to allow the audience to see these students be allowed the opportunity to represent well for not only our university, but our conference as well,” NCCU Champagne head coach La’Tasha Bynum said.
The experience to cheer in front of 49,670 fans and a live national TV audience on ABC left Bynum and her program with several memories -- so many, they could not pinpoint their favorite. Bynum, Shearin and Richardson also wanted to make sure the group left as a tighter unit.
“Our team bond is like a family,” Bynum said. “This stands true from the beginning of the season up until this point. Being able to travel and experience this platform together only strengthens that bond.”
As the world of HBCU cheer is growing daily, Bynum wants to ensure her program sticks to one plan: being authentic. She takes pride in her one-of-a-kind program and sticking to its tradition of excellence.
Bynum is in the middle of her first year as NCCU cheer’s head coach. Before stepping into the role, Bynum spent many years as an assistant and volunteer coach for the program. Bynum is a proud 2006 graduate of NCCU; the longtime Eagle spent all four of her collegiate years suiting up in the deep maroon and charcoal gray as a cheerleader while also taking on a number of leadership roles, including captain.
“Being a captain of NCCU, the first thing you need to have is patience,” Richardson said. “When I have difficult decisions to make as a captain, I try to just use future thinking. This includes thinking about what may happen if I make this decision.”
As the Winston Salem, N.C., native coaches her team, she wants her team to remember to be confident, elegant and classy in all their endeavors on and off the cheer mat. As a former cheerleader, Bynum describes the opportunity to lead this group as surreal.
Shearin shares that at some NCCU sporting events the crowd may not be engaged, but in Atlanta, having Eagle fans fully participating from beginning to end made her feel like her hard work on the mat is paying off.
“When little girls come up to us because of the way we sound and look, it makes me feel pretty good that they look up to us,” Shearin said.
Before Richardson can even come down from the heights the Celebration Bowl has taken him, he is already looking forward to NCCU basketball possibly making it to the NCAA Tournament and all of the elaborate arenas his team may get to share what it means to be a part of NCCU Champagne with.