If there were any former Philadelphia Eagles player who wore his affiliation with his Historically Black College and University (HBCU) with a combination of pride and swagger thrown in, it's Birds Hall of Fame defensive end Hugh Douglas.

A two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, Douglas is most proud of his induction into the Black College Football of Fame – which, like the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is located in Canton, Ohio – back in 2010.

"To be honest, when I think about it now, I'm Black history," Douglas said. "When you think about it, I went to a small school, an HBCU, and I am in the (Black College Football Hall of Fame) and was one of the better pass rushers in the NFL at the time that I was in the NFL.

"And I think about some of the guys that came before me," he continued. "One of the most humbling things is that I am part of the (Black College Football) Hall of Fame."

Douglas said he is especially proud to be a fraternity of Black College Hall of Fame players like former Eagles wide receiver Harold Carmichael (Southern University) and former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel Blount. Blount and Carmichael are also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities make up 10 percent of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition to Carmichael and Blount, the Hall of Fame luminaries from HBCUs include Walter Payton (Jackson State University), Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State University), and former Kansas City Chiefs middle linebacker Willie Lanier (Morgan State University). Eagles alumni who hail from HBCUs include Jimmie Giles (Alcorn State), Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State), Richard Harris (Grambling State), Claude Humphrey (Tennessee State), Harold Jackson (Jackson State), Jamaal Jackson (Delaware State), Charlie Smith (Grambling State), John Walton (Elizabeth City State), Andre Waters (Cheyney State), and Roynell Young (Alcorn State).

"When I hear guys like Mel Blount talk and Harold Carmichael talk and they talk about how hard it was and different it was to be a Black athlete from an HBCU and certain things that they didn't have, it's very humbling," Douglas said. "To know that I am carrying on that legacy … to be a part of that history is humbling."

During his playing days at Central State, Douglas was probably one of the best players you probably never heard of unless you were an NFL scout. The Mansfield, Ohio native was a true Marauder (Central State's nickname) on defense during his collegiate days.

Douglas had 42 sacks in 32 games in his three-year career at Central State. During his sophomore year, Douglas led his team to an NAIA Division I National Championship.

While he had great on-the-field accolades, Douglas' journey through his years at Central State (1991-1994) prepared him for the battles that he would face in the NFL.

In a situation that was similar to Carmichael and Blount, who went against each other in practice when they were teammates at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., Douglas had his own nemesis for a teammate in Erik Williams, who would be a three-time All-Pro right offensive tackle while helping the Dallas Cowboys win three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

Douglas described Williams, who was 6-6 and 311 pounds, as his "nightmare" when he had to go against him in practice. He said those matchups against Williams were decidedly one-sided, but instead of becoming discouraged in those battles, it made Douglas even more determined.

"When Erik Williams came to practice, man it was hell," Douglas recalled. "It was hell every day going up against that guy. Erik played with the nastiness of a defensive lineman. He had a mean streak that you want your offensive line to have. He talked trash, he head-butted people. … He was bigger and stronger than me."

Along with being pushed around by Williams, one of Douglas' coaches would berate him by saying that he was being "punked" by Williams.

That motivated Douglas to get in the weight room to work on his game while spending time running on the track.

"I said, 'I'll be damned if I let somebody handle me the way that (Williams) handled me,'" Douglas said. "That'll never happen to me again."

It was that kind of determination that led him to be a No. 1 draft choice of the New York Jets (16th overall) in 1995. Douglas spent three seasons with the New York Jets before coming to the Eagles in 1998. During his NFL career, Douglas was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and at the end of his Eagles tenure following the 2004 season was in third place on the franchise's all-time list in sacks with 54.5 behind Clyde Simmons and Reggie White. Today, he is sixth on the list.

For all his success in the NFL, Douglas said he really enjoyed his time playing with the Eagles, which included a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX and he has cherished his time after football.

"I had a ball in Philly … It's a great sports town and I enjoyed my time and I enjoyed going to the Super Bowl even though we didn't win it," said Douglas, who is a commentator on SportsRadio 94WIP. "I know a lot of guys who have 10 years career and didn't go to the Super Bowl. I was blessed to do that … I didn't think I would be in radio and I work in radio."

When it comes to the pride he takes in being an alum from an HBCU, Douglas compared it to being a part of a large family. He said "one of the proudest moments" of his life was to see his late son, Hugh, who lost his life in a car accident in 2023, attend an HBCU, Morehouse College in Atlanta.

"When I tell you about the network (from Morehouse) that came through when he decided to go there, it was a beautiful thing. I was really proud of that," Douglas said.

Award-winning journalist Chris Murray has more than 40 years of experience in print and broadcast journalism. For the last 16 years he has been a regular freelance sportswriter with the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and is the host of the Chris Murray Report, a weekly sports radio talk-show on WURD Radio in Philadelphia. He is the author of the book, First Draft: A Chronicle of Race, Sports and Social Justice in the 21st Century.