NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State finished the season ranked first in the HBCU Division I Football Coaches Poll released Monday by Boxtorow, earning with it the distinction of being named HBCU Football Champions for 2011, the organization announced.
NSU (9-3) earned 13 of 15 first-place votes from the Division I HBCU football coaches. Runner-up Jackson State of the SWAC (9-2) earned the other two first-place votes and placed second in the poll.
This marks the first time an NSU football team has ever been named HBCU national champions by any of the existing media organizations which bestow the honor.
“This is another great accomplishment for our program,” NSU football coach
Pete Adrian said. “This just adds to the long list of firsts our players have achieved this season for the University, and we hope to build on this for next year.”
NSU won its first-ever MEAC title and made its inaugural appearance in the Division I FCS playoffs in 2011. The nine wins are the most by any Spartan team in the Division I era, and are the second-most in school history behind the 1984 team that finished 10-2 at the Division II level.
NSU finished second in the Boxtorow HBCU media top 10 poll, which also includes Division II teams. Winston-Salem State (13-1), which won the CIAA title and advanced to the Division II playoff semifinals, took top honors in the media poll.
Final 2011 Boxtorow FCS HBCU Football Coaches Top 10 Poll
1. Norfolk State (13)
2. Jackson State (2)
3. Bethune-Cookman
4. Grambling State
5. Alabama State
6. South Carolina State
7. Alabama A&M
8. Florida A&M
9. Hampton
10. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Final 2011 Boxtorow HBCU Football Media Top 10 Poll
1. Winston-Salem State (16)
2. Norfolk State (2)
3. Jackson State (1)
4. Bethune-Cookman
5. Grambling State
6. Alabama A&M
7. South Carolina State
8. Alabama State
9. Morehouse
10. Florida A&M
