Dear Thorobred Family,
Championship moments are highly visible, but the work that creates them is quieter:
early practices, difficult adjustments, hours of study, trust built among teammates,
and the decision to keep working when no one is watching.
This Saturday, our Kentucky State University football team will face Benedict College in the 2026 SIAC Football Championship at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. It will be the program’s second championship game appearance and an opportunity to earn its first SIAC title.
This moment builds on a remarkable 2025 season, when Kentucky State finished 9-3, tied the school record for victories, and earned its first NCAA Division II playoff berth. Head coach Felton Huggins Jr. was also named SIAC Coach of the Year. With an 8-2 record and a championship berth, this year’s team has extended that momentum.
Our student-athletes, coaches, and Athletics staff have given us much to celebrate. They have built this season one practice, one meeting, one class, and one game at a time. Behind them stand families, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters whose encouragement has helped carry the team to this moment.
At its best, college athletics reveals something education also teaches: talent must be developed, preparation matters, and individual ability becomes more powerful when placed in service of a shared purpose. Those lessons will serve our student-athletes long after the final whistle. The discipline, resilience, and teamwork that brought them to a championship game will continue to shape how they lead in their professions and communities.
I plan to be in Columbia, and I hope many members of the Thorobred Family will join me in cheering on our team. For those unable to attend, the game will air nationally on ESPNU beginning at 10:30 a.m. Wherever we watch, we can take pride in the way our student-athletes and coaches represent Kentucky State.
They have earned this opportunity. Now let us give them our full support.
Congratulations to the team and everyone who has contributed to this achievement. Let’s bring that championship home.
Go Thorobreds!
Together, Onward and Upward,
Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D.
President
Kentucky State University