1976 North Carolina Central Eagles football team

1976 North Carolina Central Eagles football
Conference	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Record	6–5 (2–4 MEAC)
Head coach	Willie Smith (4th season)
Home stadium	O'Kelly Stadium

1976 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. T–8 South Carolina State +	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Morgan State +	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
North Carolina A&T	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Howard	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
North Carolina Central	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Delaware State	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
Maryland Eastern Shore	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from Associated Press poll

The 1976 North Carolina Central Eagles football team represented North Carolina Central University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Willie Smith, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 6–5, with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, and finished fifth in the MEAC.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	Elizabeth City State*	O'Kelly Stadium Durham, NC	W 34–0		[1]
September 18	Winston-Salem State*	O'Kelly Stadium Durham, NC	W 31–7		[2]
September 25	at No. 2 Alcorn State*	Henderson Stadium Lorman, MS	L 17–23	8,000	[3]
October 2	at Morgan State	Hughes Stadium Baltimore, MD	L 10–12	4,500	[4]
October 9	Virginia State*	O'Kelly Stadium Durham, NC	W 14–7		[5]
October 16	at Delaware State	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	W 27–16		[6]
October 23	Maryland Eastern Shore	O'Kelly Stadium Durham, NC	L 19–21		[7]
October 30	at South Carolina State	State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC	L 0–30	4,320	[8]
November 6	Johnson C. Smith*	O'Kelly Stadium Durham, NC	W 10–3		[9]
November 13	at Howard	RFK Stadium Washington, DC	L 21–22	3,158	[10]
November 20	North Carolina A&T	O'Kelly Stadium Durham, NC (rivalry)	W 17–16	14,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. "N.C. Central rips Elizabeth City 34–0". Greensboro Daily News. September 12, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "N.C. Central crushes inexperienced WSSU". Winston-Salem Journal. September 19, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Alcorn turns back Central". Durham Morning Herald. September 26, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Morgan State edges Central". Winston-Salem Journal. October 3, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "N.C. Central halts Va. State". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 10, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Passes doom Delaware State". The Morning News. October 17, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Maryland–E.S. beats NCCU, 21–19". The Times and Democrat. October 24, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "S.C. State Bulldogs romp over N.C. Central: SCSC gains first place in the MEAC". The Times and Democrat. October 31, 1976. pp. 8A, 13A. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Johnson C. Smith is close...but N.C. Central prevails". The Charlotte Observer. November 7, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Howard slips by Central". Durham Morning Herald. November 14, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Central beats A&T on late FG". Durham Morning Herald. November 21, 1976. Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (North Carolina Central)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 22, 2024.