Southern Heritage Classic

About Southern Heritage Classic

From early September through the Holidays in December and January, one thing and one thing only dominates southern life: College Football. Though some will say it’s just a game, we know it’s so much more. College football brings us together at the office. It divides us in our houses. It gives us good reason to wear loud colors and call radio stations to rant. College football taps into a unique southern spirit, and there may be no more unique college football event in the country than the annual Southern Heritage Classic.

Running from September 7 - 9, 2023, the Southern Heritage Classic is one of the biggest HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) rivalry games of the year. Since 1990, upwards of 40,000 fans annually have come from Jackson State University and Tennessee State University to Memphis and Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to see their respective alma-maters battle it out for annual bragging rights.

Since 1989, the Southern Heritage Classic started like so many great ideas, out of necessity. The two teams played each other regularly, but the geographic distance dampened attendance, especially for the visiting squad. The question then was to increase attendance and and make this great game a two-sided affair? At some point in the late 80s, a solution emerged: Host the game in Memphis, a geographically neutral location accessible to both campuses and a hotbed for both schools’ alumni. And like so many great ideas, the benefits far exceed the initial intentions. For over 30 years, the Classic has become more than a way to boost attendance. It’s become a celebration of HBCU’s.

And with that celebration comes so much more than the game, which, by the way, has featured future super bowl participants like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Anthony Levine, and Lamar Divens.

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