Winston-Salem State Rams

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The Winston-Salem State Rams are the sports teams of Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete in NCAA Division II as members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The Rams have 11 varsity teams (4 men’s, 6 women’s, and 1 co-ed). Home venues include Bowman Gray Stadium for football, the Clarence E. Gaines Center for basketball, the WSSU Tennis Courts for tennis, and Whitaker Gymnasium for other events. Their mascot is Amon the Ram, and the team colors are red and white.

Winston-Salem State has been a CIAA member since 1945, with a brief 2007–2010 period when they competed at the Division I level with the MEAC but did not move to full membership. In 1967, the Rams became the first HBCU to win an NCAA basketball championship (College Division, now Division II) with a 31–1 record. Guard Earl Monroe led the team, averaging 41.5 points per game before being drafted second overall by the Baltimore Bullets.

Baseball was reinstated in August 2010 after a 37-year hiatus. In its first year, the program won the CIAA title and reached the Atlantic Regional. The team went on to win CIAA championships in 2012, 2013, and 2014, and earned a national No. 23 ranking in 2013 while hosting the NCAA Atlantic Regional.

In football, WSSU played in the 2012 Division II national championship game, finishing 14–1 after a 35–7 loss to Valdosta State. The team was led by head coach Connell Maynor and All-American quarterback Kameron Smith. The Rams’ football home is Bowman Gray Stadium, a venue that also hosts NASCAR’s weekly races.