When the Charlotte 49ers began their football program six seasons ago, football was less a sport than a cause. The 49ers had repeatedly been told they didn’t need football, which was another way of saying they didn’t deserve it.
The school ignored the detractors and came up with helmets, uniforms, coaches, and finally players. Fans responded. When you went to a game at Jerry Richardson Stadium those early seasons, it was if you saw almost every Charlotte fan you ever knew. Those you didn’t see, you heard.
But the 49ers are 0-6; they’ve played six seasons and have yet to experience a winning one.