HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – With the close of the 2021-22 campaign, the Alabama A&M Sports Information Office is counting down the Top-10 stories from the campaign throughout the summer. Today, we continue with the No. 3 story of the season - Football Returns To Louis Crews Amid Thrilling Campaign.
 
Make sure to check www.AAMUSports.com every Friday to catch the latest release.
 
Story No. 3: Football Returns To Louis Crews Amid Thrilling Campaign
Spring 2021 would see many things, including an undefeated campaign, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) National Championship and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title, but did not include one very important thing – a home game at Louis Crews Stadium.
 
That would change on September 4, 2021 as the Bulldogs returned home for the first time in 651 days and did so in style with a thrilling 42-41 last second victory over South Carolina State. That game would also mark the return of fans with 12,300 paying witness to a triumphant return.
 
They would then follow that with another outstanding victory, this one a 30-27 win at Bethune-Cookman (9/16) in a driving rain storm and in a game aired (and delayed by weather) on ESPNU. For the second straight game junior safety Trenell Troutman (Orlando, Fla.) closed out the win with an interception.
 
It would continue to be a season of impressive and historically significant games, the next being what would be a 37-28 loss at Grambling (10/2). Despite being a loss, the game was one of the more exciting ones on the season but is significant as a result of the performance of graduate quarterback Aqeel Glass (St. Louis, Mo.), one that saw him break the school's NCAA Division I single game passing yardage mark with 446 yards.
 
The following week would see the second largest crowd in the 25-year history of Louis Crews Stadium as 21,835 witnessed the first Homecoming since 2019. The attendance trailed only the 22,287 individuals on hand for the 1998 Southern game. More than 28,000 would then be on hand for A&M's 42-28 win over rival Alabama State (10/30) in the Magic City Classic, marking their fourth straight victory in the annual matchup.
 
On November 13 the Bulldogs traveled to Texas Southern and delivered one of the most entertaining games in years. They would come from behind to claim a 52-49 victory that would see Glass shatter his own program record with 462 yards.
 
They would then close the season with four straight games of at least 42 points for an average of 47 per game, that being a dominant 52-24 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11/20) on Senior Day.
 
Those performances would lead to a number of impressive honors, including Glass repeating as the Black College Hall of fame National Player of the Year (Deacon Jones Award), BOXTOROW National Player of the Year and SWAC Offensive Player of the Year.
 
The latter also featured a total of five All-SWAC selections, four on the First-Team, while BOXTOROW also named four postseason All-Americans and three preseason All-Americans. The program would also earn eight All-SWAC Preseason Team selections, including Glass being named Offensive Player of the Year for a second straight year.
 
Media honors would also rain down for the Bulldogs with Phil Steele naming 10 individuals to their All-SWAC Team and Glass as their Offensive Player of the Year while the latter also finished 9-of-25 in the Walter Payton Award which represents the nation's top FCS player.
 
A number of recognitions would be presented as Glass was named to the 2022 Senior Bowl Watch List, the first selection in the Inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl and was an NFLPA Collegiate Bowl selection.
 
He would not be the only one heading to the Rose Bowl and Pasadena, California with the latter as Duane Taylor was named an offensive coordinator for that game, showcasing the Bulldogs' potent offense. Taylor's offense would also earn AFCA Minority Offensive Staff of the Year and Glass and senior wide receiver Dee Anderson (Dallas, Texas) were both invited to the 2022 HBCU NFL Combine.
 
The litany of awards included Glass being named an FCS Third-Team All-American and earned three of the programs SWAC Weekly honors. Those would all be Offensive Player of the Week with his coming on September 6, October 15 and November 22 while Gary Quarles (Sept. 20) and Anderson (Nov. 8) picked up the others.
 
Glass was also named BOXTOROW National Player of the Week on September 7 while junior wide receiver Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim (Miramar, Fla.) collected College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors.
 
Competing against all NCAA Division I schools in the Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, it is an extremely coveted accomplishment and one that has been achieved only five times by a Bulldog in the 70 year history of the award.
 
In 2021, Alabama A&M football returned to action with a pair of seasons for the first time in program history and the efforts and accomplishments of those campaigns set the stage for a 2022 year that would generate not only some of the more exciting and entertaining games in recent memory but also a bevy of impactful and historic awards, both on the field and in the classroom.
 
The Schedule
Every Friday throughout the Summer and leading up to the 2022-23 preseason, the SID Office will release the list one at a time beginning with the No. 10 story on June 3. The No. 1 story in Alabama A&M Athletics, as chosen by the Sports Information Office, will be released on Friday, August 5.
 
Countdown to the Top-10 Alabama A&M Athletics Stories from 2021-22
No. 1 – Coming August 5
No. 2 – Coming July 29
No. 3 – Football Returns To Louis Crews Amid Thrilling Campaign (July 22)
No. 4 – Bulldogs Bring Home Bevy of Awards (July 15)
No. 5 – McLaren Delivers Titles as Men's Track & Field Returns to SWAC Championships (July 8)
No. 6 – Men's Basketball Delivers Impressive Historical Season (July 1)
No. 7 – Women's Basketball and Lewis Attack the Record Books (June 24)
No. 8 – Bowling and Men's Golf Net Honors Not Seen In Years (June 17)
No. 9 – Baseball Delivers Strong Efforts In 2022 Campaign (June 10)
No. 10 – Men's Tennis Delivers Impressive Accolades (June 3)
Honorable Mention (May 27)