BY STEVE HANF
SALISBURY POST

N.C. Central picked a great opponent for homecoming this weekend.

When the Livingstone Blue Bears travel to Durham for today’s 2 p.m. kickoff at O’Kelley-Riddick Stadium, it will be a homecoming of sorts for them, too.

Ties between the N.C. Central and Livingstone football teams abound, starting at the top.

Eagles head coach Rudy Abrams played wide receiver for the Blue Bears and graduated in 1964. Livingstone head coach Greg Richardson played in the N.C. Central secondary and graduated in 1974.

Richardson coached under Abrams at West Charlotte High School from 1977 to 1979. Their paths crossed again in the ’90s, when Abrams took the head coaching job at Livingstone and Richardson came aboard as defensive coordinator.

From 1996-98, they built the Blue Bears into a force in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Abrams earned Coach of the Year honors three times, the Blue Bears won two CIAA titles and made a pair of trips to the Pioneer Bowl.

When Abrams left for N.C. Central in 1999, Richardson assumed the reins in Salisbury.

“I’m looking forward to playing against Coach Abrams and his staff, and I’m sure they’re looking forward to playing against us,”Richardson said. “I’ve known Coach for a long time. We decided it was a good opportunity to come to Livingstone and elevate its program.”

That’s where the story diverts from its happy homecoming ending. Both Livingstone (1-6 overall, 0-5 CIAA) and Central (3-4, 1-3) are struggling programs desperately looking for victories.

“He’s done a great job and he’s going to do a good job at North Carolina Central,”Richardson said. “Just like in our situation, it takes time to build programs.”

The Blue Bears would like nothing more than a league victory to build on for next year. Today’s matchup is Livingstone’s final CIAA game, with homecoming next week in Salisbury against non-league foe Benedict.

Richardson’s team is playing better as of late, coming off a 37-22 defeat at Elizabeth City State and an overtime loss at Johnson C.Smith. Freshman quarterback David Melton has taken over the offense and played well at times, leading the Bears on sustained drives down the field.

Central, meanwhile, opened the year 3-1 but has lost its last three games. The Eagles’ main threat comes on the ground, where Cheo Johnson ranks fourth in the league with 78.4 yards per game. The quarterback position is still a question mark, though, with a pair of freshmen likely to split time.

“They’ve won three games, but they’re struggling just a little bit,”Richardson said. “We have another opportunity here where we feel like we match up fairly well with the team.”

With Central’s recent troubles and a matchup next weekend with 2-6 NAIA foe Benedict, the Blue Bears enter their final two games with thoughts of salvaging the season and building for 2002.

“The season’s not lost until the season’s over with,”Livingstone defensive lineman Travis Wells said. “Right now I know he’s (Richardson) getting a lot of flack. A lot of it’s on the players. We just need to suck it up and be men.”

n

Contact Steve Hanf at 704-797-4287 or shanf@salisburypost.com .