Tuskegee University Brings HBCU Culture to the Pitch in New Soccer Docuseries
HBCUs are known for their storied traditions in sports such as football and basketball. But this upcoming season, Tuskegee University, one of the most prestigious HBCUs, will be making major waves in the NCAA with two new teams.
Marking a historic milestone in Golden Tiger Athletics, Tuskegee University officially launched its inaugural NCAA Division II men’s and women’s soccer programs, bringing HBCU energy to the world’s game.
To document this historic milestone in the institution’s 145-year history, “Unveiling History,” a forthcoming docuseries, will chronicle the first season of the school’s soccer programs. Executive-produced by acclaimed filmmaker Brian Egeston (“The Quad,” “The Game”) and directed by Bryon Horne, the series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the development of both programs.
Speaking with The Root, Egeston, a second-generation HBCU graduate and his third-generation alumni spouse, spoke about the importance of the legacies of HBCUs.
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”HBCUs are all I know. I was probably eight years old before I realized that white people went to college,” Egeston joked. “My aunt got her PhD at the University of Arkansas, and I was at the graduation. I’m like, ‘Why are these white people here? I had no idea that white people go to college. So HBCUs are a part of my DNA. It’s a part of my fabric. I hope my son will be a fourth-generation HBCU grad in our family.”
A lifelong soccer fan, Egeston passed on his passion for the game to his son. Beginning as a coach for his son’s team, he set off on a new phase of his soccer journey, becoming a referee for youth and semi-pro leagues. Egeston shared that many Black soccer players were forced to give up the game because few HBCUs had a team for them to join.
“I am very much steeped in soccer. When I refereed high school, strangely enough, this is really why I was inspired to do a documentary,” Egeston recalled. “After the game was over, I would see these incredible players. I would say, ‘Hey, what are you doing next year since you’re a senior? Time after time for five years, I heard these kids saying, ‘Well, I’m done playing soccer because I’m going to an HBCU and there are no opportunities to play HBCU soccer except for a handful of schools.”
He went on to say that when he got the opportunity to be part of the team at Tuskegee, he was eager to start working with young Black players – including his son.
”I jumped up and down, and we did everything we could to try and position my son to play for the team, and then the floodgates opened up,” he continued. “There were so many players from Atlanta who got selected for the team, and it was just a perfect scenario.”
Eventually, Egeston agreed to document the moment after hitting it off with a coach who suggested someone should capture it because he “couldn’t keep his mouth shut” about the soccer at HBCUs. Shortly thereafter, he sent a pitch about a docuseries to Reginald Ruffin, the Athletic Director, which ultimately reached Dr. Mark Anthony Brown, the University President. They all loved the idea, and “Unveiling History” was born.
Fueled by the sport’s booming popularity across the southern states of America and the recent impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Tuskegee University is tapping into the momentum with the first soccer teams. According to Egeston, the timing couldn’t be better when he explained the undeniable surge of Black people being drawn to the game.
“I think the biggest thing is that the athletic director, Reginald Ruffin, is a visionary. Ironically enough, Tuskegee was getting a brand new turf field. He said, ‘I need you to paint these lines that look like this,’ he said. “Then the football coaches said, ‘What are all these lines on the field? Ruffin said, ‘I need these for soccer. So he actually had the turf installed with soccer lines before there was even a soccer field.”
As the only SIAC school with a soccer team, Tuskegee University is playing as an independent this season. Lacking a conference automatic bid, the Golden Tigers must conquer a challenging schedule against high-caliber opponents to earn an NCAA tournament spot. Egeston described it as “the ultimate Cinderella story.”
“I have the privilege of watching these kids practice and train every day. We follow them going back to the dorms all over campus, and we see how they’re bonding, and we see how excited they are,” Egeston said. “But more than anything, we see their hunger to prove themselves.”
Along with the documentary, Egeston noted that a new weekly series, similar to HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” tracking players leading up to training camp, will be released soon.
While “Unveiling History” captures the launch of a first-year program, Egeston ultimately wants viewers to walk away connected to the personal stories of the student-athletes making history against all odds.
“I want people to take away that the culture is coming to soccer. We want people to see that at Tuskegee, where the students made the bricks and the students used those bricks to build a building, that this is the same symbolism on a soccer field. These kids came to Tuskegee to build this new program, and I think they have the potential to shock the world,” he said.
