An interview with one of the founders of UNCG’s first club football team. [AJ is on the far right in the photo above]
What is your name?
“My name is AJ Curington.”
What is your major/minor and classification?
“I’m a senior Media Studies major with a concentration in Sports Broadcasting & Journalism with a minor in African American Diaspora Studies.”
What is your position on the club football team?
“I am a founder, captain, officer, and player on the club football team. I play defensive tackle and I am also the recruitment chair as an officer.”
You’re one of the founders of the UNCG club football team, who are the others?
“The club football team was founded by Dijon Mason, Daryl Fleming, Carlos Banegas, and myself.”
What was your motivation for starting the football team?
“The motivation behind starting the football team was to give students a chance to play football at a collegiate level who either played and wished to continue their career along with those who never played at all and wanted to. Another reason we had was give UNCG the experience of fall football. I transferred from a school where football ruled the weekends in the fall. When i got here, it didn’t feel like a real college. There was no school spirit at all. We believed that bringing football to a school like UNCG would help change the culture on campus.”
Describe the process of starting the team.
“The process of starting the team was long and unforgiving. There were nights we stayed up until the sun came up typing up our team constitution, sending it in for review and having it sent back to us countless times needing changes and fixes. Getting coaches to stick with us throughout the offseason and keeping players interested during winter practices while trying to actively recruit players was incredibly stressful. Scheduling with other schools, and trying to find somewhere to play our home games, there was always something that needed to be done. There were many times where we felt like it wasn’t worth the struggle.”
Was it worth it?
“It was worth it. Absolutely. Ask any of the founders if we’d do it again and we would. The brotherhood we helped stimulate between the team and the trust we found in our coaches and relationships we made with [each] other was all worth it.”
How is the season going so far?
“Our season is over. We finished with a record of 3-4.”
Describe your relationship with your other teammates.
“I’d describe my relationship with my teammates as family oriented. I love those guys. They’re my brothers.”