Charlotte’s own Omar Tyree will be honored at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Legends Reception on Saturday in Orlando.
The reception is part of the festivities surrounding the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. The challenge is a football classic that pits teams from the MEAC and SWAC conferences against each other Labor Day Weekend in Orlando. It is the only game which pits teams from the two HBCU conferences against each other. This year Delaware State University will represent the MEAC, and Southern University will represent the SWAC. The game is noon Sunday at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. It will be broadcast live on ESPN. The contest, in its sixth year, is one of the few opportunities for HBCU football to be aired live on ESPN.
Tyree is a New York Times bestselling author and 2001 NAACP Image Award winner for outstanding literature. He’s a graduate of Howard University. He will also be honored with Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams (Grambling State University).
“I am very thrilled to be a part of a big sports night for HBCUs of which I am a grad from Howard University,” Tyree said. “And the biggest part for me is being able to bring my two growing sons and family along to be a part of the whole Labor Day weekend with educated black folks at an ESPN sponsored event! And we get to go to a big football game too! Wow! I guess the SuperBowl would be next up!”
Other honorees include pro football hall of famer Mel Blount (Southern University), U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Zeita Merchant (Tougaloo College), Kellogg’s Senior Vice President of Global Nutrition/Corporate Affairs Celeste Clark (Southern University), and former NFL linebacker and seven-time Pro Bowl player Robert Brazile (Jackson State University).
