Homecoming at Clark Atlanta had family reunion feel, pageantry and a win

Guests were anxious to get inside the gates to Clark Atlanta University Saturday.

A long line stretched down Beckwith Street as visitors waited to enter the campus for tailgating. The CAU Panthers football team was battling the Allen University Yellow Jackets.

Homecoming had arrived, and the excitement was infectious.

Crafted specifically for the occasion, students and alumni donned red-and-black ensembles to reflect their school pride. Sweaters, cardigans and moto jackets were creatively paired with CAU’s letters and mottos.

One T-shirt read, “Made a way since 1865,” referencing the early Atlanta University before it merged with Clark College to create Clark Atlanta University in 1988.

Inside the stadium, a lively crowd packed the stands. Alumni returned to their former positions with the cheer squad, dance team and drumlines, performing alongside the students during cheer routines and specified segments of the halftime performance.

Energy radiated throughout the stadium.

“When the crowd just gets lit with us, we just give it back to them and show love to them too,” said class of 2029 offensive lineman Devin Munford. “It’s just about putting on the show for the people that come back home so they can remember what they really truly love about Clark Atlanta.”

The Panthers beat the Yellow Jackets 17-14.

Paying it forward

For Linda Jordan, returning to CAU is a way of giving back to the alma mater that believed in her.

If it weren’t for CAU, she says she would not be where she is professionally.

“I come back because Clark means a lot to me,” said Jordan, who graduated in 1985 with a dual degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

While in high school, Jordan said her results on college admissions standardized testing were below the minimum acceptable score to apply for CAU.

But she applied anyway, and she was accepted nonetheless.

“If it had not been for CAU, I would not be where I am today,” she said.

Now as an engineer, she encourages students interested in STEM to apply for the dual-role program between CAU and Georgia Tech.

“Because of Clark, I have four degrees,” she said. “I come back to support the school, to work with the young people, to see what help I can provide.”

Before Zimier “Tyson” McCloud attended CAU, he was enrolled at SUNY Morrisville. After a fight, he said he lost his football scholarship.

CAU was his saving grace; he said, “whenever everybody (else) closed the door.”

“CAU was the only school that took a risk,” said McCloud, a 2011 graduate.

Once he realized how much the school cared about his future, he committed to putting forth his best effort in giving back.

On Friday, McCloud was honored at CAU’s Raymond “Tweet” Williams Athletics Hall of Fame Luncheon for his contributions on and off the field.

McCloud was nicknamed after boxer Mike Tyson because he said he used to “knock out” opponents on the field.

In addition to being a defensive lineman for the Panthers, he helped raise funds for the CAU football program during his time in school and volunteered with kids.

He said it was a “blessing” to be recognized as one of the 17 inductees into CAU’s athletics hall of fame.

“It just lets you know that hard work pays off,” McCloud said.

‘This is still home’

Nichelle Wilson said she comes back every year. As a former captain of the cheerleading team, she makes sure to join the current students in front of the crowd during each homecoming football game.

As a first-generation college student, visiting the school that helped mold her is a necessity.

“It’s very important for me to give back to my community every single day. Clark Atlanta raised me,” said Wilson, a 2004 graduate.

She said every homecoming is an opportunity to meet new people and create lasting relationships.

“It’s my duty; it’s my right (to come back),” Wilson said. “Just like for us to vote, it’s to give back to our institutions that raised us to become these individuals that we are today.”

Other alumni shared similar sentiments that the atmosphere at CAU’s homecoming feels like a family reunion.

Patrick C. Daniel, who graduated from CAU in 1989 with his undergraduate degree in political science and again in 1991 with his master’s in human resources management, said homecoming is a “rallying point” for people to recenter and reconnect.

Homecoming also allows for alumni to look at the growth and progress of their alma mater.

“It’s a place that you can find a community and a connection with people that align with you and your values,” he said.

Even though Jimmy Hendrix didn’t graduate from CAU, he still considers it home.

Originally a member of the class of 2011, Hendrix transferred from CAU to Old Dominion University due to financial restraints after his freshman year.

However, that has not stopped him from showing his appreciation for CAU over the years. In fact, he said he still feels financially obligated to give back to the school.

“I came back because, even though I was here a short time, I just love the university,” Hendrix said. “I think it did more for me in the short time I was here than anywhere else I’ve been.”

He said CAU presents itself to the community with open arms.

“I just feel it’s more of a family,” Hendrix said.