List of black college football classics

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This is a list of black college football classics which take place between historically black colleges and universities which compete in college football in the United States. Unlike bowl games, classics take place during college football's regular season; they are often accompanied by entertaining battle of the bands, parades, tailgating, concerts and are often played at neutral sites. The classics annually attract large crowds of alumni, fans and spectators, along with high media interest and corporate sponsorships.

All HBCUs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level or below in college football, but because of the commitments of some universities (especially SWAC and MEAC schools) to these games, they may forgo the opportunity to play in the national playoff system.

Classic Name Location Year Established Notes
Atlanta Football Classic Atlanta, GA 1989 Formerly an annual game between two Division I HBCU football teams. The event was cancelled after the 2014 season.
Battle of the Bay Hampton Roads, VA 1962 Annual game between two schools in different portions of the Hampton Roads area—Hampton University on the "Peninsula" and Norfolk State University on the "Southside". Unlike many HBCU classics, this game alternates between the two schools' home fields.
Battle of the Firsts Philadelphia, PA 2009 Game between Cheyney University and Lincoln University, held the first week of the season on a neutral site in Philadelphia. The "first" also refers to the schools being among the first HBCUs; Cheyney was the first four-year institution established for African Americans and Lincoln was the third.
Bayou Classic New Orleans, LA 1974 Annual game between Southern University and Grambling State University held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and televised on NBCSN.
Biker's Classic Nashville, TN 2006 Annual game featuring Tennessee State University
Capital City Classic
a/k/a The Soul Bowl		 Jackson, MS & Lorman, MS 1945 Annual game between Alcorn State University and Jackson State University held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It traditionally rotated back and forth between Jackson and Lorman until 1993. From 1993–2011 it was held each year at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson but starting in 2012 the game began to rotate between there and Jack Spinks Stadium on the Alcorn State campus in Lorman. In a document published on the Alcorn State website University President M. Christopher Brown II and interim athletic director Dwayne White informally dubbed the game "the Soul Bowl”.[1]
Capital City Football Classic Sacramento, CA 2008 Annual game in September played in Northern California.
Chicago Football Classic Chicago, IL 1997 Annual game in September played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Circle City Classic Indianapolis, IN 1983 Annual game takes place the first weekend in October
Commemorative Classic Charlotte, NC Annual game between Livingstone College and Johnson C. Smith University
Cleveland Classic Cleveland, OH 2011 Annual game in September played at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland
Community Youth Bowl Richmond, VA 2002 Annual game featuring Virginia Union University
CSRA Football Classic Augusta, GA 1992
Dallas Lone Star Classic Dallas, TX 2008, 2009 A game that featured University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Texas Southern University played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The classic was cancelled after the 2009 season.
Dayton Classic Dayton, OH 2005 Annual game featuring Central State University
Delta Classic Little Rock, AR 2006 Annual game featuring the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Down East Classic Rocky Mount, NC 1998 Annual game featuring Elizabeth City State University
Druid City Classic Tuscaloosa, AL 2002 Annual game featuring Stillman College
Fish Bowl Norfolk, VA 1948 Annual game featuring Norfolk State University
Florida Classic Orlando, FL 1979 Annual game between Bethune-Cookman University and Florida A&M University, televised on ESPNU
Ford Detroit Football Classic Detroit, MI 2002 A game that featured MEAC and SWAC teams. The classic was cancelled after the 2007 season.
Fountain City Classic Columbus, GA 1989 Annual game between Albany State University and Fort Valley State University
Gateway Classic Jacksonville, FL 1953 Annual game featuring Bethune-Cookman University
Gateway Classic St. Louis, MO 1993
Gold Bowl Richmond, VA 1976 Annual game originally featuring regular season champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference & Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Subsequent games now feature Virginia Union University
HBCU Classic Greenville, SC 2005
Jackson State–Southern rivalry (Boombox Classic) Jackson, MS and Baton Rouge, LA 1958 Annual game featuring the Jackson State Tigers and the Southern Jaguars.
Joe Turner Classic Savannah, GA 1993 Annual game featuring the Tigers of Savannah State University
John Merritt Classic Nashville, TN 1999 Annual game featuring Tennessee State University held in early September and played at Nissan Stadium
Labor Day Classic (Texas) Houston, TX 1985 Annual classic game featuring Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University on Labor Day weekend. The football rivalry between the Texas schools began in 1946.
MEAC/SWAC Challenge Orlando, FL 2005 Televised nationally on ESPN2
Magic City Classic Birmingham, AL 1940 Annual game between Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University. It is the highest-attended HBCU football classic in the nation.[2][3]
Morehouse–Tuskegee Classic Columbus, GA 1935 Annual game between Morehouse College and Tuskegee University
Nation's Football Classic Washington, DC 2011 Formerly an annual game between Howard University and Morehouse College. Beginning Fall 2015, this classic will feature the Howard Bisons versus the Hampton Pirates.
North Carolina A&T–North Carolina Central rivalry Greensboro, NC and Durham, NC 1924 Classic MEAC rivalry featuring the two largest HBCUs in North Carolina.
Palmetto Capital City Classic Columbia, SC 2001 Annual game featuring Benedict College
Port City Classic Shreveport, LA 2010 A game that featured the Grambling State University Tigers
Prince George's Classic Bowie, MD 2004 The first PG Classic was played by Howard University and Alcorn State University. The second was played by Morgan State University and North Carolina A&T. Subsequent games (2006, 2007 and 2008) featured Bowie State University as the home team.
Rivalry Classic Charlotte, NC Annual game between North Carolina A&T State University and South Carolina State University
Southern Heritage Classic Memphis, TN 1990 Annual game between Tennessee State University and Jackson State University held at the beginning of football season at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
State Fair Classic Dallas, TX 1925 Annual game which since 1993 has always been between Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University; held during the State Fair of Texas
Steel City Classic Birmingham, AL 2000 Annual game between Stillman College and Miles College
Texas Southern-Southern Rivalry (Murk City Classic) Houston, TX and Baton Rouge, LA 1955 Annual game between Texas Southern and Southern University.
Turkey Day Classic Montgomery, AL 1924 Annual game between Tuskegee University and Alabama State University held on Thanksgiving Day
Wade Wilson Classic Cheyney,PA/Philadelphia,PA circa 1970's Annual game featuring Cheyney University
Willie E. Gary Classic Jacksonville, FL 2001 Annual game between Edward Waters College and Shaw University
Whitney M. Young Classic also known as the New York Urban League Classic East Rutherford, NJ 1970 Annual game held at MetLife Stadium

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jackson, Miss. to Lose Capital City Classic in 2012
  2. ↑ http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/12/magic_city_classic_ranks_tops.html
  3. ↑ http://hbculifestyle.com/top-5-hbcu-classics-2014/
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