For 22 years, Brian Holloway helped tell the story of North Carolina A&T State University athletics. Through championship seasons, national recognition and the daily demands of covering an entire athletics department, he became one of the most respected sports communications professionals in the MEAC and the HBCU community.
This past week, the university’s new athletics administration released Holloway from his position as associate athletics director for communications, choosing to move in another direction. His departure closes a chapter defined by dedication, professionalism, and service to Aggie athletics.
Like many sports information directors at HBCUs, Holloway often operated as a one-person department. As websites, social media, and digital content expanded the responsibilities of athletics communications, the staffing needed to support those demands too often failed to follow.
The expectation remained, while the tasks and demands to complete them grew.
During the golden era of Aggie football under coaches Rod Broadway and Sam Washington, Holloway was there, helping the program navigate its growing visibility. He wrote releases, coordinated press conferences, produced media guides, maintained the website, organized game-day media operations, and handled sensitive communications.
As North Carolina A&T climbed to the top of the MEAC and became a dominant force in the Celebration Bowl, Holloway helped ensure that the program’s accomplishments received the attention they deserved. Much of his work happened behind the scenes, but its impact was visible everywhere.
His responsibilities extended well beyond football. Basketball brought its own demands, while the Aggies’ nationally prominent track and field program kept the spotlight shining deep into the spring. From the opening of football season in August through the conclusion of track season around June, there was little opportunity to catch his breath.
I understood that workload because I served in the same capacity at Florida A&M. Throughout our time in the conference, we worked together and helped one another whenever we could.
Holloway accepted the challenges of the position
One visit to North Carolina A&T stands out. Brian had a volleyball match immediately before a football game—a scheduling combination that can stretch even a fully staffed communications department. For someone carrying so much of the responsibility himself, it was a tremendous challenge.
We stepped in to help organize his football press box while he finished his volleyball duties. When he arrived, he went straight to work. Whatever stress he felt never showed on his face. He kept his head down and pulled off both events.
That was Brian Holloway.
Football alone is an enormous undertaking for a sports information director. Adding another event on the same day compounds every demand. Yet Holloway’s assignment encompassed 17 sports, each requiring some combination of statistics, website updates, stories, releases, publications, and media coordination.
Being an HBCU SID is often a thankless job
Former MEAC Commissioner Dr. Dennis Thomas understood those pressures. During football media days in Norfolk, he encouraged SIDs to bring their families. He would arrange a private evening at a venue such as Dave & Buster’s or a bowling alley, giving us time to relax together because he recognized the workload we carried.
For many of us, it was one of the few times during the year when we felt that someone truly understood and valued our work.
Holloway also carried significant health challenges throughout his career. He underwent two kidney transplants and spent six of his 22 years at North Carolina A&T on dialysis. Through those difficult years, he continued serving the university and its student-athletes.
His experience also brings attention to the demands placed on HBCU communications professionals. Over the years, we have watched colleagues endure serious health problems, and we have mourned others whose lives ended far too soon. Their experiences deserve attention, along with an honest conversation about staffing, compensation, and support.
Accepting a sports communications position at an HBCU often resembles answering a call to teach. The compensation rarely reflects the responsibility, but people take the job because they believe in the institution and the young people it serves. They take pride in presenting their schools in the best possible light, often giving far more than their job descriptions could ever capture.
After being hired away from the Charlotte Bobcats, Holloway brought that commitment to North Carolina A&T for more than two decades. A devoted family man whose children have excelled, he earned the respect of colleagues through his hospitality, creativity, and steady professionalism.
An administration can change direction. That does not diminish the contributions of someone who helped carry its story for 22 years.
Brian Holloway understood the assignment. His legacy at North Carolina A&T reflects how faithfully he fulfilled it.
