• We are all niners •

Evan Shirreffs

Meet Evan Shirreffs, quarterback for the Charlotte 49ers football team and an MBA student from Athens, Georgia. Evan transferred from the University of Miami to continue building the tradition of football at UNC Charlotte. While football brought him to Charlotte, the opportunity to earn a graduate business degree in the Charlotte market has far exceeded his expectations.

Get to know Evan.

• We Are All Niners •

Evan Shirreffs

Meet Evan Shirreffs, quarterback for the Charlotte 49ers football team and an MBA student from Athens, Georgia. Evan transferred from the University of Miami to continue building the tradition of football at UNC Charlotte. While football brought him to Charlotte, the opportunity to earn a graduate business degree in the Charlotte market has far exceeded his expectations.

Get to know Evan.

What does it mean to you to be part of Niner Nation?

To me, it means putting your head down and powering through any obstacle or task you encounter. It’s taking a blue-collar attitude to get things done without taking shortcuts.

What has been the University’s impact on your life and experience as a Niner?

I transferred to play football at Charlotte after completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Miami. The benefits of attending Charlotte were apparent from the first few minutes of my visit. The campus is beautiful, the city is full of opportunity, the people are genuine and the culture is electric. The University has not only lived up to my expectations, but it continues to show the great things that are to come in the Queen City.

You’re one of the students in the ‘We Are All Niners’ campaign. What does it mean to represent the University in this campaign?

I am honored to be able to represent the University in this campaign. To be able to promote the University and all it has to offer has definitely been gratifying to say the least.

This is a campaign to garner exposure and pride for UNC Charlotte across the Charlotte region. What do you want the city of Charlotte to know about UNC Charlotte? What should the city know about Niner pride?

I do not think the campaign could have pinpointed a better slogan than “We are all Niners.” When you walk around campus, you see diversity in ethnicity, beliefs and upbringings that all blend together so well. I grew up only a few hours from Charlotte, but I was never exposed to how wonderful the University truly is. For people to see what is really going on at Charlotte, I would encourage them to just drive through campus or attend any University-sponsored event. Everyone will be blown away and see the gem that’s somewhat hidden in Northeast Charlotte.

Our football team seems to share a particularly close bond. Could you describe the culture of the Charlotte 49ers Football program and why it is that way?

A huge reason the football team is so close and why we consider each other brothers is because we have been through so much together. It’s not unusual for us to participate and wrap up practice before most of the campus has even woken up. Together, as a team, we grind through the offseason to prepare for Saturdays, and collectively we’re stronger for it. And that’s what has brought us to be so close. We’re truly bonded and we want to see each other succeed because we have been pushing each other to build this culture to breed success.

There’s an energy around the football program this year, particularly with the arrival of Coach Healy. Could you describe the atmosphere of football game days from your perspective and what it’s like being a part of such an exciting aspect of the University?

Game days are electric, something that I have not experienced in Charlotte until this year. People are excited to see what we are building and they are starving for a college football team to take over this city. We have the chance to be the catalyst that turns this program into a nationally known and praised program.