(Source: HBCU Sports)
Norfolk State and Delaware State both saw their football crowds swell in 2025 under DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick.
But the Spartans’ surge under first-year head coach Vick turned their home dates into some of the hottest tickets in HBCU football.
From record-setting homecoming figures in Norfolk to a primetime showcase in an NFL stadium for Delaware State, the numbers tell the story of two MEAC programs riding a broader wave of fan engagement.
Norfolk State’s attendance spike under Vick
Norfolk State’s 2025 home attendance exploded to 106,062 across five home games, more than the combined totals of the 2023 and 2024 seasons and one of the largest season figures in modern program history. That worked out to an average crowd of roughly 21,212 per game, placing the Spartans at No. 5 nationally in FCS attendance.
The centerpiece was homecoming, where 47,273 fans packed Dick Price Stadium for a matchup with South Carolina State, nearly doubling the 24,960 turnout for homecoming two years earlier. Even with a 1–9 record heading into the final home game against Morgan State, Norfolk State still drew 7,294 fans, more than double the comparable late-season crowd in 2023, underscoring how Vick’s arrival and an aggressive ticketing push reshaped baseline interest.
Delaware State’s steady rise and winning bump
Delaware State’s attendance picture in 2024 and 2025 wasn’t as dramatic as Norfolk State but still showed signs of growth and ambition. The Hornets’ 2025 schedule included a marquee Thursday night clash against Norfolk State played in an NFL stadium, a neutral-site showcase that drew a reported 47,266 fans and led all HBCU games in Week 10 attendance.
That neutral-site figure dwarfed typical Delaware State home numbers, which averaged 3,389 fans in 2025, up from 3,333 a year ago. However, attendance capacity increased from 46.3 percent in 2024 to 47 percent this past fall, according to the most recent figures.
Year-over-year comparison
The contrast between 2024 and 2025 is most dramatic in Norfolk. In 2024, the Spartans’ home averages were in line with their decade-long norm of roughly 8,000 to 15,000 total home attendance per year, far below the 21,000-per-game pace they set this fall. The 2025 total of 106,062 fans not only eclipsed 2023 and 2024 combined, but it also outstripped the 2011 title season average of 15,171, despite the 2025 team winning only a single game.
Delaware State’s shift from conventional FCS home environments in 2024 to taking center stage in a 47,000-plus crowd against Norfolk State in 2025 represents a different kind of growth. The Hornets may not have seen the same across-the-board home spike that Norfolk State experienced, but their inclusion in one of the year’s largest HBCU-attended games showed they, too, are operating on a bigger stage than a year ago.
What attendance figures say about both programs
For Norfolk State, the attendance boom suggests that star power on the sideline and an intentional game-day strategy can transform fan behavior even when wins are scarce. Vick’s presence created a sense of urgency and curiosity around every home date.
Delaware State’s data points to a program leveraging marquee opportunities to broaden its reach.
Together, their 2024–25 trajectory reflects a larger truth embedded in HBCU attendance reports: when the names are big and the teams are compelling, Spartans and Hornets fans are willing to show up in numbers.
