Since its inception in 2020, Nike’s Yardrunners program was created with the intent of amplifying and empowering HBCU athletes by celebrating HBCU history, heritage, and the impact their alums have had on global sport and culture.
In the most recent iteration, Yardrunners 3.0, Nike awarded scholarships and collaborated with 4 Black women designersfrom Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, and Tennessee State University on special Nike Dunk Lows.
Recently, the brand partnered with Armory Track for the HBCU Showcase, an all-day showcase sponsored by KPMG that not onyl featured some of the best track & field athletes in the nation, but also allowed New York City high school students to get a rare glimpse of HBCU culture. The event also included an HBCU college fair where the high schoolers could gather insight and valuable information on the HBCU experience.
The institutions that participated in the HBCU Showcase were:
- Bowie State University
- Central State University
- Coppin State University
- Delaware State University
- Edward Waters University
- Florida A&M University
- Florida Memorial University
- Howard University
- Johnson C. Smith University
- Lincoln University
- Livingstone College
- Norfolk State University
- North Carolina A&T State University
- Prairie View A& M University
- Saint Augustine’s University
- Tuskegee University
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Univiersity of the District of Columbia
- Voorhees University
- Winston-Salem State University
A complete listing of the results of the 2023 HBCU Showcase can be seen here.
