The Howard Athletic Department placed safety nets behind the goalposts on their home field after band members complained about having to dodge footballs.
The Bison herded to William H. Greene Stadium during homecoming to cheer on the legacy of Howard, but the cheering was interrupted with a bit of dodging.
Students and alumni arrived during practice times for both teams and found themselves dodging multiple footballs. Due to their positioning, however, no one was more vulnerable than the Howard “SHOWTIME” marching band.
“No one was actually hit, but there were very close calls,” a current band member, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, said.
The band member went on to describe the feeling of being in the stands, saying, “It was definitely very frustrating…especially when you just finished marching a show and now you have to dodge a ball trying to take your head off.”
To increase the capacity of the stadium from 7,086 to 10,000 and accommodate spectators, Howard routinely sets up portable bleachers behind either goal post for home football games.
The marching band is seated in designated spaces directly behind the goalpost, acting as the pulse of the stadium.
Denice Pigott, a 2005 Howard graduate and former marching band member said people were having close calls before the game started.
“I did dodge 10 to 15 balls during the warmup and two during the game,” Pigott said.
Her band experience made her empathetic towards current band members and other spectators. She acknowledged some of the more elderly alumni, explaining how some were in wheelchairs and could only do so much to protect themselves from a spiraling football.
“Over 200 people had to dodge footballs the entire game,” Pigott said.
Another band alumna and 1999 Howard graduate, Tabitha Bellamy-McKinley, spoke to the safety concern, as she used to be in a similar position.
“I used to play the sousaphone, and a ball can possibly get lodged in that instrument,” she said.
This had Pigott asking the question, “What’s the holdup?”
This question became a recurring question as Pigott mentioned that a vast majority of alumni were unhappy about these circumstances, according to an alumni group thread.
This concern paid off well, evidenced by a safety net standing behind the goalposts amongst the vulnerable stands as of Oct. 24, about a week after the big game.
The anonymous band member shared, “We have a net now and we feel protected. We’re glad that the university has done something to fix the problem.”
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
