Charles Harris, the late former commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), must be smiling right now. It must be gratifying to see one's vision come to reality.
 
When Harris was named the conference commissioner in 1996, he let it be known that he had a vision for the MEAC: to get TV exposure for the league’s student-athletes, coaches and programs. These days, because of technology and the need for content, a variety of sports can be seen on several formats, including ESPN, Fox, TNT and in-house streaming.
 
For the MEAC, the journey to that point has its origin in Harris’s tenure.
 
Harris became MEAC commissioner in 1996 and served until 2002. While in that role, Harris chaired the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards Committee and increased revenue to member colleges through television contracts.
 
As the late former Commissioner of the conference, it was Harris, whose vision during his tenure was to showcase the conference via use of the exposure.
 
The MEAC, like the other HBCU conferences, had an entertainment product, but due to lack of national exposure, the rest of America did not know.
 
During the 1980s, Black Entertainment Television (BET) was the only source of exposure for HBCU sports, in general, and the MEAC in particular had several football and basketball game on that network.
 
But when that partnership dissolved, it left a vacuum that Harris was on a mission to fill.
 
To that end, the Hampton University graduate sought out and found a company, Fosstone Productions, that was willing and capable of doing basketball games for select audiences in various markets.
 
The exposure was welcomed by fans and alums alike despite its limited platforms.
 
"My first interaction with Charles Harris came while I was AD at Hampton," Dr. Dennis Thomas, recently retired commissioner of the MEAC, said. "He was instrumental in bringing Nike to the table as a corporate sponsor for men's and women's basketball, and that was big at the time.”
 
Harris boasted a strong background in marketing, and he put it to use effectively. During his tenure as commissioner, it was Harris’s mission to secure sponsorships for a conference that sorely needed the help at that time.
 
"From the first time I met him, Charles had a vision to bring exposure through television," Lynn Thompson, the MEAC’s Strategic Advisor and former Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Bethune-Cookman, said. “He wanted to navigate the conference to greater heights through television exposure. I was part of the TV Committee with the conference; at that time, BET was no longer carrying Black College sports, so Charles went to Fosstone Productions and we were able to have our basketball games broadcasted.”
 
That vision laid the groundwork for Thomas, who succeeded Harris and took that framework to the next level, what we currently see with the expansion of added coverage.
 
Added Thomas, "It was big when Charles brought the Postal Service in as a partner. That marked the beginning of what we see now with ESPN and streaming platforms that showcases out brand."
 
The MEAC has an agreement to broadcast numerous football games, men's and women's basketball games, including the conference’s marquee event: the MEAC Basketball Tournament. Select volleyball matches and the tournament championship is also a part of the deal, as is the championship final for women’s bowling.
 
Several other MEAC sports, including track & field, tennis and softball, are now broadcast on a variety of platforms. In 2022, the conference’s men’s and women’s tennis championship semifinals and title matches were streamed for the first time ever, going live on HBCUGo.
 
There is a direct through-line from that bit of history and the groundwork Harris laid more than two decades ago. In addition to his impact on marketing TV coverage, former MEAC media relations director Larry Barber says that was another quality that made an impression on him.
 
"There was a special feeling about Charles Harris that day I met him at his introduction as new commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in spring 1996,” Barber said. “I first found him to be extremely personable and observant. As commissioner, he really got himself together and actually did not make any changes with me except alleviating the director of compliance (responsibilities), which allowed me to deepen my media relations role.
 
“(Harris) also pushed me to accept the multi-weeks 1996 Olympics’ position, although I should have been in the office. The major thing is we had a congenial relationship that never faltered and I found him to be very thorough. I advised him during our initial office one-on-one that I would give all I had, but just two years because I was retiring. I admired him for trying to retain me. Commissioner Harris was a pleasure to work with."
 
Being a trailblazer was nothing new to Harris, whose career as an athletics administrator was notable for the number of times he was the first or youngest to do something.
 
At the age of 29, Harris was the youngest person to be named Athletic Director at an Ivy League School with his appointment at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also the first ever African American to serve as an Ivy League Athletic Director (1979).
 
Harris was named the Director of Athletics at Arizona State University in 1985, becoming the first African-American athletic director in school history. He is credited with major facilities improvements, including the addition of sky boxes at Sun Devil Stadium, which helped lure the Cardinals of the National Football League from St. Louis to Phoenix. 
 
So, the next time that you are able to see your MEAC alma mater on one of the several media platforms available today, take a moment to remember the legacy of the Charles Harrs.