ESPN's 'First Take' Headed To HBCU Homecomings
Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, co-hosts of First Take, will bring their popular sports talk show to Winston-Salem State and Savannah State, respectively. It will be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the two HBCU alums and fellow co-host Molly Qerim. "On Monday, November 6, First Take will be live from Savannah State University at Shannon's alma mater," Smith said. "They will show us how the Tigers get down."
Sharpe was a three-time All-SIAC star at Savannah State until the Denver Broncos drafted him as the 192nd overall pick in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft. After thirteen seasons, Sharpe won three Super Bowl rings (Denver-2, Baltimore-1), and was inducted in the Black College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe; Credit: USA Today Sports
"Thank you, Stephen A. Smith, for making this happen," Sharpe remarked. "Because you said, 'Big boy, what you think if we do an HBCU tour.' Go to Savannah State, and then we take the show on the road."
Smith continued, "But the excitement doesn't stop there! Then, on Tuesday, November 7th, we're taking the show to my alma mater, Winston-Salem State University, where the Rams will be sure to represent!
Before Stephen A. Smith graduated from Winston-Salem State in 1991, he played college basketball under the great coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines Sr.
Last season, ESPN's College Game Day visited Jackson State University when Deion Sanders was still the head coach of the Tigers football team. Smith and Sharpe hope to make their trips to HBCU Homecomings an annual event. "HBCUs, you know what it means to me. I'm the ambassador for HBCU Week. It's always about bringing attention and giving a higher profile to historically black colleges and universities. That's what it's all about. That's ultimately the mission," Smith concluded.