NORFOLK, Va. – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) enshrined the 2020 class of the MEAC Hall of Fame during an awards brunch on Thursday, March 12, starting with a welcome reception at 9:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Va.
Two of the inductees this year were Aggies in former star quarterback Connell Maynor and former star defensive end Chris McNeil.
"I would like to congratulate Connell Maynor and Chris McNeil, North Carolina A&T's newest inductees into the MEAC Hall of Fame class. We are very proud of their accomplishments when they were at North Carolina A&T and we are very proud of what they have accomplished as professionals," said N.C. A&T Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III.
The MEAC Hall of Fame highlights former student-athletes, coaches, university and conference administrators, as well as special contributors, who have enriched the legacy of the conference since its inception in 1970. Enshrinees were selected by an 11-person committee made up of administrators and representatives from member institutions.
The inaugural Hall of Fame class was inducted on May 29, 1981 during a 10-year anniversary banquet in Greensboro, N.C. The MEAC Hall of Fame has enshrined 153 people including the Class of 2020.
The 2020 MEAC Hall of Fame Inductees
Connell Maynor, North Carolina A&T State: The MEAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991, Maynor became the first Aggie to ever win that award. In 1991, he threw 18 touchdown passes in leading North Carolina A&T State to the MEAC championship, and with him under center, the Aggies had back-to-back nine-win seasons. In his career, Maynor accounted for 58 touchdowns (39 passing, 19 rushing), which currently ranks third in program history. His 141.82 career pass efficiency is the best in Aggies history, and he also boasts the program's highest career completion percentage at .561. Maynor went on to have a 12-year Arena Football League career (winning four AFL championships), in addition to serving as Jamie Foxx's stand-in for the film
Any Given Sunday and also doing stunt work on
Remember the Titans. He was a successful head coach at Winston-Salem State before serving in the same position at Hampton University for four years. He is currently the head football coach at Alabama A&M.
Christopher McNeil, North Carolina A&T State: A transfer to North Carolina A&T State from N.C. State, McNeil spent plenty of time in the offensive backfield in 1996. That season, he recorded 17 tackles – 11 of which were for a loss. Of those 11 tackles for loss, nine were sacks. The 1997 season, however, was McNeil's dominant season. As a defensive end, he had 49 total tackles, 25 for loss, and 21.5 sacks (which is the highest single-season total in MEAC history). McNeil was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MEAC for his efforts, and he was also recognized as the Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College Defensive Player of the Year. McNeil was also named Div. I-AA Player of the Year, Sports Network First Team All-America, NCAA First Team All-America, Associated Press All-America and Walter Camp All-America. He then played professional football for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, before returning to North Carolina A&T State to complete his degree. McNeil is heavily involved in youth sports through the greater Charlotte, N.C., area, serving as football president for I Got Next Youth Sports, and he is also the Vice President of Football Operations for CSG Wealth Management. To this day, McNeil organizes football camps for current and former NFL players dedicated to giving back to their communities.
