Chancellor Donald Reaves hoped that it wouldn’t take long for the CIAA to readmit his Winston-Salem State athletic program back into the conference it helped to build to Division II prominence.
This afternoon, the conference Board of Directors turned that hope into a reality, voting unanimously to readmit WSSU after a four-year departure from the Rams to pursue admission into the Division I MEAC conference.
Winston-Salem has made no secret about its desire to compete at the Division I level. If they ever bolster fan support and corporate sponsorship, along with increased enrollment, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made another run at Division I in the next 5-7 years. But this move and consequent failure has left a feeling of embarrassment for Rams faithful, and these next few athletic seasons are critical to their present and future development.
Should the Rams return to the CIAA and not contend for conference championship, right away people are going to look at them funny. They were recruiting Division I athletes and coaching talent, and enough of that talent should remain now that the WSSU ship has redirected to Division II waters. There’s no way that people will grow in support of a program that doesn’t come back to the CIAA like it left something, unless they comeback with somebody they didn’t leave with.
Somebody like Bill Hayes. Unless he is eyeing a return to Greensboro….
Nevertheless, the Rams are back where they belong. The only questions that remain are how long will they stay, and how good will they be in their return.
