At the country’s historically black colleges or universities (HBCUs), no doubt the Classics are about having the livest band, the biggest parades, and the best events to attend.
In no specific order, here are five Black college Classics that reach above and beyond your expectations:
1. Florida Classic
The Florida Classic features Bethune Cookman and Florida A&M, and over 1.5 million people have attended the popular quarrel between the two teams since 1978 to present.
With coverage from ESPNU, people can join in and watch the live broadcast every year.
FAMU leads the series in wins, 21 to 14.
2. Bayou Classic
The 41-year-old showdown between Grambling State and Southern has some of the best events around including the Fan Fest, which features musical celebrities every year.
The Bayou Classic classic attracts some 250,000 people to the city every year and has been televised on NBC every year since 1991.
3. Southern Heritage Classic
Tennessee State and Jackson State has played each other for 25 years now, fighting to see what team can really be called the Tigers (both schools use the same animal as their mascot.)
The Southern Heritage founder Fred Jones Jr. is said to bring together two loves to create the Southern Heritage Classic: The love for his hometown Memphis, Tennessee, where the classic takes place, and his love for producing events together.
4. Chicago Football Classic
Each year two top HBCUs go head to head in the Windy City to take home the Chicago Football Classic. The CFC came about when Larry Huggins, Everett Rand and Tim Rand formed as a non-for-profit organization. Its sole purpose is to support African-American adolescents to reach individual greatness, not to mention to influence the youth to go HBCU.
5. Nation’s Football Classic
The Nation’s Football Classic’s inception is relatively new. Created in 2011, it features HBCU powerhouses Howard University and Morehouse College, who has competed against each other since 1923.
Though this Football classic itself is new to the game, it does not fall short of any of our expectations. Plus, the rivalry between Howard and Morehouse makes this event a golden nugget.
