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Johnson C. Smith University completed a championship journey fifty-five years in the making on Saturday afternoon, defeating two-time defending champion Virginia Union 45–21 inside Durham County Memorial Stadium to capture the 2025 CIAA Football Championship. The victory marks the Golden Bulls’ first CIAA football title since 1969, restoring a legacy long held in memory and returning the program to the summit of Black College football.

The JCSU CIAA Football Championship win was cinematic: competitive play on the field against a kaleidoscopic sky. The Golden Bulls took down the Virginia Union Panthers, 45-21, in a display of athletic dominance, taking home the trophy!  Head Coach Maurice Flowers led the charge. 
 

Before taking the field for the CIAA Football Championship, the Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls made an impact off the field with a meaningful community service project at the Durham Rescue Mission, an organization that supports more than 550 men, women, and children every day.

Time stood still. The sun pierced the clouds over the Eddie McGirt Field at Johnson C. Smith University on November 8, 2025. In a thrilling turn of events, the Golden Bulls took down their 130 year old rival, Livingstone College, in a 26-21 photo finish. The Commemorative Classic victory sends the Golden Bulls straight to the CIAA Championships in Durham: JCSU vs. Virginia Union, November 15, 2025.

The stage is set for an historic finish to the 2025 CIAA Football season as No. 1 seed Virginia Union University and No. 2 seed Johnson C. Smith University prepare to meet in the 55th CIAA Football Championship on Saturday, November 15 at Durham County Memorial Stadium, marking the first CIAA Football title game played in Durham since 2015. 

Pre-social work students at Johnson C. Smith University continue to distinguish themselves through academic excellence, ethical leadership and community engagement.

Dr. Judith Crocker-Billingsley, Associate Professor of Social Work at JCSU, says students in the Values and Ethics course have participated in a range of experiences designed to deepen their understanding of professional integrity and social responsibility.

Africa has one of the highest rates of international research collaboration, especially with major scientific power houses like the United States. In October, Dr. Alphonso Ogbuehi, Dean of the Johnson C. Smith University College of Business invited Dr. Eugene Okyere-Kwakye, Dean of the School of Business at Koforidua Technical University in Ghana, to the Charlotte-based campus of JCSU. The conversation on campus was an extension of conversations that began in Ghana during a JCSU delegation trip led by President Kinloch July 2025. The conversation that emerged in October at JCSU continues to shed light on international collaborations that may occur in the future. 

Medicine, music, and hands-on STEM education came together at Johnson C. Smith University’s 2025 Homecoming. Beyond the football field and parade route, doctors, medical professionals, and even a live DJ gathered on campus to showcase careers, new technology, and real-world opportunities in healthcare. At the center of it all were two Golden Bull alumni—now practicing podiatrists—who returned to give back and inspire the next generation.

Johnson C. Smith University’s Homecoming 2025 will be remembered not only for the Golden Bulls’ thrilling 69–13 victory over Bluefield State University, but also for a moving moment that transcended play-by-play competition - a heartfelt tribute to the late Pettis B. Norman ’62, one of JCSU’s most storied alumni and a pioneer in professional football.

Members of the Johnson C. Smith University National Alumni Association painted the Queen City blue in the inaugural Diner en Bleu event during Homecoming 2025. The exclusive event featured African drummers who led the gallant parade of patrons into the sprawling parlor. JCSU alumni from the 1960s to 2020s arrived adorned in a kaleidoscope of blue: sapphire gowns, cobalt ties, royal blue dresses, true-blue suits, and Oxford blue pocket squares.  Alumni came ready to party and to give.