PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — On Friday (Nov. 20), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced the 50 football players who were elected to the conference's All-Time Team and for the Hawks standout Carl Hairston made the list.
 
Hairston — nicknamed "Big Daddy" was a First-Team All-MEAC selection in 1973, 1974 and 1975. He was named to the MEAC Hall of Fame in 2005.
 
Known by many around campus simply as "Mr. Defense," Hairston posted more than 200 tackles in his Hawks career including 113 solo tackles and assisted on 56 others through the first eight games of 1975.
 
The Martinsville, Virginia, native went on to be drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round (No. 191) of the 1976 NFL Draft and have a 15-year professional career.
 
He played eight seasons with Philadelphia (1976-83), six years with Cleveland (1984-89) and one season with Arizona (1990). He led the NFC with a career-best 15 sacks in 1979, started in Super Bowl XV as a defensive end for Philadelphia and served as the Eagles captain from 1979-83. He was named team MVP five times in his tenure with Philadelphia and was named team MVP four times with Cleveland.
 
He participated in 15 career playoff games and four conference championship games (1980, '86, '87, '89). He finished his NFL career with 1,141 tackles, 94 sacks and 184 starts in 224 games.
 
Hairston was the lone selection for Maryland Eastern Shore because most of its football history (then as Maryland State College) came during the 1950s and 60s when it was a member of the CIAA.
 
As a member of the MEAC for eight seasons from 1971-1979, the Hawks were just 20-61-3 overall and had a 12-32-1 record in conference play. The football program was dissolved after the 1979 season.
 
Nearly 2,500 votes were cast for the Football All-Time Team, with fans, media representatives, institution sports information contacts and others taking part. 
 
To be considered on the ballot, players had to have been named to one of the following: First Team All-MEAC, MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Offensive Lineman of the Year or be a MEAC, Black College Football or College Football Hall of Fame inductee.