Virginia Union Football having best season since 1990

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The Virginia Union University Football Team is on the warpath as the Panthers go undefeated for 7 weeks straight.

The Panthers are back on the gridiron this week after an insane start to the season and a dramatic win over CIAA defending champions Bowie State.

“You can’t put those moments like that into words, and I’m gonna remember that for the rest of my life,” VUU Head Coach Alvin Parker said.

This past weekend, VUU handed Bowie State its first loss at home since 2016. Brady Myers clinched a 42-yard field goal in overtime, leading the team to a 27-24 victory.

“We have been underdogs...you already know that that’s a heck of a game, and we had to get that win,” sophomore running back Jada Byers said.

The last time Virginia Union saw success like this was 32 years ago. The 1990 team went 10-2, a record the Panthers are hoping to break this season.

“You don’t just go undefeated by saying, you know what, wake up one day and say we want to be undefeated,” Coach Parker said. “It’s a total commitment.”

This historic season means so much to not just the football team but the university as a whole.

“I think the university has made that commitment, and that shows. I think that the community has made that commitment, and it shows,” Coach Parker said.

VUU star Jada Byers has been a significant part of the team’s success. He says HBCU football doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves.

“It’s just like a Virginia Tech or a Clemson or Alabama, they might be bigger than us, but as one, we’re all a community. We all stick together,” Byers said.

Byers is the nation’s top running back and the only player between Divisions I, II, and III with over one-thousand rushing yards and 1,373 yards total.

Coach Parker says he had no doubt his team could take the football program to the next level.

“I think for everybody outside of the program, this is something new, but for me, I thought that if they did everything right, we would be right here where we are now,” he said.

Parker says they are not just looking to win this coming weekend. They want to bring home a championship trophy by the season’s end.

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