North Carolina A & T Aggies football The North Carolina A & T Aggies are the college football team representing the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University . The Aggies play in NCAA Division I Football Championship as a member of the Mid - Eastern Athletic Conference . Home stadium . The Aggies play home football games at Aggie Stadium which opened in 1981 . Before the construction of Aggie Stadium , North Carolina A & T Aggies played their home football games at Greensboro ’ s War Memorial Stadium , which was home to the nearby minor league baseball franchise . The university saw a great need to have an on campus stadium that could hold the growing number of fans attending home football games . Aggie Stadium was designed by architect W . Edward Jenkins , a North Carolina A & T alumnus , and opened in 1981 . The first game played there was on September 12 , 1981 against local rival Winston Salem State University to an overflow crowd of more than 23 , 000 fans . To date , the largest single game attendance at Aggie Stadium was set in 2001 when 34 , 769 people were in attendance for a football game against the rattlers of Florida A & M University Culture . Marching band . The Aggie Football Team is supported by The North Carolina A & T State University Blue & Gold Marching Machine , the university ' s marching band . Started in 1918 , the band program has grown from a 50 piece ensemble , to the 260 member band of today . In the mid 1960s the band introduced the concept of majorettes and flag twirlers . In the late 1970s to early 80 ' s , the marching band was renamed to the current “ Blue & Gold Marching Machine ” moniker . The band consists of all volunteer students , and perform the pre - game ceremonies , which includes the playing of the Star Spangled Banner , Lift Every Voice and Sing , a halftime performance , and a post game concert known as " The Fifth Quarter . " The Blue & Gold Marching Machine utilizes a variation of the high step marching style . This involves the lifting of the knee with legs directly in front , thighs parallel to the ground , and toes pointed downward . When the leg is elevated , there should be a 90 - degree angle with the body and the thigh , and a 90 - degree angle with the thigh and the shin . The leg is then lowered , and this is repeated with the other leg . This is informally referred to as the " chair step " . This is also the style commonly found in many HBCU marching bands . The Blue and Gold Marching Machine has performed in many major performances including the 2009 Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta , Georgia and also performing in the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac , Michigan . The Blue and Gold Marching Machine was recently invited to perform in the Macy ' s Day Parade in New York City in 2012 . Mascot . " Aggie " is the mascot for North Carolina A & T . The term " Aggie " has long been used to refer to students who attend agricultural schools . Hence the reason North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University adopted the nickname " Aggies " when the school was founded in 1891 . According to oral history , The origin of the Aggie Bulldog mascot stems from a tale of a shepherd dog , a bulldog , that was kept on the North Carolina A & T farm to assist in herding the cattle and other animals into shelter . During a football game the Aggies had become despondent . In the last few minutes of the game , an Aggie fullback broke through the opposition ' s defense and scored a touchdown , but was deemed no good by a referee . It is said that at that moment , an unidentified person untied the bulldog which then attacked the referee . The incident was said to almost cost the then College membership in the CIAA , but it vindicated the Aggies . It is said that from that day on , the mascot for the football team has been a bulldog . Rivalries . North Carolina Central . The main rivalry of the Aggies is against its in - state rival , North Carolina University . Commonly referred to as the " Aggie – Eagle rivalry " , this particular rivalry dates back to the first Aggie Football game in 1924 ; in which the game ended in a 13 - 13 tie . Fans of both Universities tend to place great emphasis on this rivalry and the intensity of it causes splits among many families , marriages , and other groups over their respective teams . The intensity of the rivalry is driven by the proximity of the two schools , as both are only 55 miles apart via U . S . Interstate 85 , the size of the two schools , as North Carolina A & T is the largest Historically Black College and University in the state with North Carolina Central being the second , and the fact that both schools are competing for many of the same student s and athlete s . Winston - Salem State . Arguably , the second most important rival of the Aggies is Winston - Salem State University . This particular rivalry dates back to the first meeting between the two in 1952 , where the Aggies defeated the Rams 44 - 0 . Although a less intense and bitter rivalry than that shared with North Carolina Central , Fans of both Universities tend to place great emphasis on this rivalry . The intensity of this rivalry is driven by the close proximity of the two schools , as both are approximately 30 miles apart via U . S . Interstate 40 , Conference affiliations , coaching personnel and the fact that both schools are competing for many of the same student s and athlete s . College Football Hall of Fame members . None Alumni in the NFL . Over 30 North Carolina A & T alumni have played in the NFL , including :