BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday, former Milwaukee Brewers President Ulice Payne Jr. created and funded a national HBCU combine event to ensure football players from every college have their day to be seen by professional NFL scouts.

It ultimately increases their chances of becoming a draft pick. For two days, top athletic skills like speed and agility were timed and tested on the turf at the University of Alabama. Earlier this month from April 7-8, 43 top football players from historically Black colleges and universities were there, putting it all on the line.

“We bring them in, run them through the 14 test that the NFL would otherwise require, record it, upload it to a portal which allowed the professional scouts who wanted to see it immediate access,” said Paynem who is responsible for making this immediate access and exposure on the field happen.  

Partnering with a team of NFL and Canadian Football League executives, Payne created a first of its kind, two-day combine exclusively for HBCU scholar athletes.

“For those students who had seasons canceled, had the combine canceled last year by the NFL, so all of a sudden now with this spring ball gone, they had two seasons here where they didn’t get a chance to get a look,” said Payne.

He funded this historical event from his own pocket. Payne said performances from chosen participants like Bethune Cookman‘s, Jimmy Robinson made his investment worth every penny. Robinson, a 2018 Bethune Cookman graduate, has been training on the field ever since, preparing and praying for an opportunity, like this combine to showcase his talents.

“It gave us the opportunity to get things on film and get a lot more teams to at least evaluate us,” said Robinson.

Until now, Robinson says many HBCU athletes have been overlooked by the NFL.  

Payne is used to achieving at a higher level. The All-American, top Marquette basketball recruit led the team to win the 1977 NCAA Championship. Then, Payne became the first Black president of the Milwaukee Brewers.

“At that time, it was very difficult, unless you went to a big school, to ever be on television,” said Payne.

He said this was the main factor that went into his decision to play Division 1 ball instead of going for a smaller, HBCU. Payne is hoping through this first HBCU combine, athletes at every college level will now have equal exposure. He’s also hoping to inspire more recruits to consider HBCUs as an option.

“Get a great education for less money in a more comfortable environment and still get to the NFL,” said Payne.

This HBCU combine will now happen annually in April, a few weeks before the NFL draft. Pain says sessions about interviewing skills finance and how to prepare for life after a football career is also offered during the combine’s two-day event.