By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
TUSKEGEE, Ala. — Tuskegee University is expanding its celebrated athletic tradition by launching the first men’s and women’s soccer programs in the institution’s 145-year history.
The Golden Tigers will begin competition in late August, with both programs operating independently at the NCAA Division II level. Home matches will be played at historic Cleve Abbott Memorial Stadium.
Tuskegee selected Mathew Tarpley to lead the men’s program and Emanuel Stephens as head coach of the women’s team. Stephens brings more than 16 years of collegiate coaching experience across NCAA Division I, Division II, NAIA and junior-college programs.
University President and CEO Dr. Mark A. Brown said adding soccer will expand Tuskegee’s international reach while creating new opportunities for talented student-athletes from around the world.
The programs’ first season will also be documented in the forthcoming series “Unveiling History.” Production reportedly began July 31.
Created, written and executive-produced by filmmaker Brian Egeston and directed by Byron Horne, the series will provide a behind-the-scenes look at coaches and student-athletes constructing both teams from the ground up.
Egeston, a second-generation HBCU graduate married to a third-generation alumna, said historically Black colleges and universities are deeply embedded in his family’s identity. He hopes his son will continue that legacy as a fourth-generation HBCU graduate.
The production is expected to explore recruiting, training, campus culture and the pressure of establishing lasting athletic programs at one of the nation’s best-known HBCUs.
Tuskegee’s expansion reflects soccer’s increasing popularity nationwide while giving more athletes an opportunity to compete at an HBCU. For the Golden Tigers, the inaugural season represents a new chapter in a proud athletic history—one that cameras will preserve as it unfolds.