2. Plan to stay the whole weekend…for the fashion shows, the parades, gospel brunches, concerts, etc.
3. If you’re a guy, especially with daughters, you cannot stare at the majorettes and drill team members.
4. It’s really about the halftime show.
5. The odds are a team called the Tigers will be playing. That’s because, Benedict College, Jackson State, Grambling, and Texas Southern, just to name a few, each have Tigers as their mascots.
As the HBCU teams are hitting the practice field the bands are tuning up for the half time shows, I can just hear them rehearsing “Blurred Lines,” The Wobble,” and “I Woke Up in a New Bugatti.”
There’s an HBCU Classic coming to a city near you this fall. I’ll be there and I hope you will too. Share your “Classic” experience, especially if it involves bringing someone who thought it was going to be just another game and halftime show.
It never is!
8/31/13 Labor Day Classic Texas Southern vs. Prairie View A&M 7 PM Houston, TX
9/01/13 John Merritt Classic Tennessee State vs.Bethune-Cookman 7 PM Nashville, TN
9/01/13 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Mississippi Valley State vs. Florida A&M 5 PM Orlando, FL
9/07/13 Nations Classic Howard vs. Morehouse 3:30 PM Washington, DC
9/07/13 Commemorative Classic Johnson C. Smith vs. Livingstone 4 PM Charlotte, NC
9/07/13 Battle of the First Lincoln (PA) vs. Cheyney 2 PM Cheyney, PA
9/05/13 Labor Day Golden Classic Miles vs. Univ. of North Alabama 6:30 PM Florence, AL
9/07/13 Ohio Classic Central State vs. Benedict 1:30 PM Dayton, OH
9/07/13 WC Gordon Classic Jackson State vs. Alabama State 7 PM Jackson, MS
9/14/13 Southern Heritage Classic Tennessee State vs. Jackson State 6 PM Memphis, TN
9/14/13 Eddie McGirt Classic Johnson C. Smith vs. Bowie State 2 PM Charlotte, NC
9/14/13 Inner City Classic Albany State vs. Tuskegee 7 PM Atlanta, GA
9/14/13 Two Rivers Classic Fayetteville vs. UNC Pembroke 6 PM Fayetteville, NC
9/21/13 Cleveland Classic Winston-Salem State vs. Tuskegee 1 PM Cleveland, OH
9/21/13 Palmetto Capital City Classic Benedict College vs. South Carolina State 4 PM Columbia, SC
9/21/13 Cape Fear Classic Shaw University vs. UNC-Pembroke 1 PM Wilimington, NC
9/21/13 Iris City Classic Clark Atlanta vs. Fort Valley State 3 PM Griffin, Ga
9/21/13 Fish Bowl Classic Norfolk State vs. Charleston Southern 4 PM Fort Valley, GA
9/28/13 Gateway Classic Central State vs. Tennessee State 2 PM Saint Louis, MO
9/28/13 Down East Viking Classic Elizabeth City State vs. Fayetteville State 4 PM Rocky Mount, NC
9/28/13 Augusta City Classic Benedict vs. Albany State 2 PM Augusta, GA
10/05/13 Atlanta Football Classic NC A&T vs. South Carolina State 3:30 PM Atlanta, GA
10/5/13 State Fair Classic Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State 6 PM Dallas, TX
10/12/13 Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic Tuskegee vs. Morehouse 3 PM Columbus, GA
10/12/13 Circle City Classic Grambling State vs. Alcorn State 2:30 PM Indianapolis, IN
10/19/13 Battle of the Bay Hampton vs. Norfolk State 1 PM Norfolk, VA
10/19/13 Biker Classic Bethune-Cookman vs. Savannah State 4 PM Daytona Beach, FL
10/26/13 Magic City Classic Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State 2:30 PM Birmingham, AL
10/26/13 Shreveport Classic Jackson State vs. Prairie View A&M 4 PM Shreveport, La
11/09/13 Fountain City Classic Fort Valley State vs. Albany State 2 PM Columbus, GA
11/23/13 Florida Classic Florida A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman 2 PM Orlando, FL
11/23/13 Battle of the Real H U Hampton vs. Howard 1 PM Hampton, VA
11/28/13 Turkey Day Classic Alabama State vs. Stillman 3 PM Montgomery, AL
11/30/13 Bayou Classic Southern A&M vs. Grambling State 1:30 PM New Orleans, LA
The HBCU Football Classics Are Coming! was originally published on blackamericaweb.com