CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1474766
CityViewNC.com | 13 "ere is a winning expectation, and we know it," Hayes says. "We're going to try to continue that." Tom McAllister will be among the thousands expected to be in the stands when the Broncos take on UNC Pembroke. McAllister started attending FSU football games during his prep days, spent just around the corner at E.E. Smith High School. He le Fayetteville to pursue a career in the Washington area for 30 years before retiring and returning to his hometown. He now is at Jeralds Stadium for all of Fayetteville State's home football games and travels to many of the Broncos' away contests. "Everybody wants to attend games now. e students, alumni, everybody is pumped up for football season," McAllister says. "When I was in high school, I used to go over there a lot to football games. ey were fair, but most of the time they had losing seasons. When I retired and came back here, things had changed. at's why I joined the (booster) club. Now I go to almost every game. We went all the way up to Pennsylvania last year to watch them play, and I've been to all four of the championship games in Salem, Virginia." Interest in Fayetteville State football has also been enhanced the past two years by its connection to the National Football League. Former Bronco offensive lineman Kion Smith signed a reserve/futures contract with the NFL's Miami Dolphins in January aer spending the 2021 season on the practice squad. A reserve/futures contract is the same as a typical NFL contract, except it doesn't take effect until the start of the next league year. en in late April, FSU cornerback Joshua Williams became the program's first player since 1976 to be selected in the NFL Dra. Williams was taken in the fourth round by the Kansas City Chiefs. "Because of Josh, a lot of kids have seen you can come to a small school like Fayetteville State and still get that NFL recognition and get draed," Hayes says. So fans coming to Jeralds Stadium on a Saturday this fall have the chance to see a winning team with potential NFL talent in an exciting environment. "I can't wait," McAllister says. "It's the best place to spend a Saturday aernoon." 'I think the crowd has really begun to expect us to be a very good football program,' says Fayetteville State head coach Richard Hayes.