The Bayou Classic: Black America's biggest football game: Grambling State and Southern continue a 30-year tradition

Ebony, Nov, 2003 by Kimberly Davis

It has been 29 years since the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars battled on the field at New Orleans' Tulane Stadium in what would become Black America's biggest football game.

That 1974 matchup, which ended with a 21-0 victory for Grambling, set the stage for this year's nationally televised Diamond Anniversary of the State Farm Bayou Classic, which is scheduled for Nov. 29 in New Orleans' Louisiana Superdome. And although the players and the venue have changed, the emotions of the event and the year leading up to it remain the same.

Indeed, the annual clash of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) rivals isn't just about what happens on the gridiron. It's about history. It's about tradition. It's about fans, alumni and families putting on their school colors, making bold claims and hoping for the best. It's about competition--a fight for national bragging rights and the Waterford crystal trophy.

"It's the Granddaddy of football classics," says Southern University (Baton Rouge) Chancellor Dr. Edward R. Jackson. "It's showmanship at its best. From the football teams to the bands and the cheerleaders, everybody is putting on a national show."

Grambling and Southern--two Louisiana schools with proud HBCU traditions--are situated about 220 miles apart, and have been facing each other in this annual event since 1974. That was the year someone--organizers aren't entirely sure who it was--suggested they move the game (which had alternated between each campus stadium) to the larger venue of Tulane Stadium.

Not certain how the fans and residents of New Orleans would react, school leaders were stunned when a sell-out crowd of more than 76,000 showed up to watch the two teams--and the bands--take the field. The game was later moved to the Superdome, and now brings close to 200,000 revelers to the Big Easy each November--pumping an estimated $85 million into the economy.

"It's an awesome event, one that means so much to so many people," says Dr. Neari Warner, Grambling's acting president. "It's important because it highlights our two universities."

As a redshirt freshman, Grambling coach and 1988 Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams was a bit wide-eyed when he ran from the dressing room into the stadium for that inaugural classic in 1974.

"I was scared to death," says Williams, now in his sixth year as coach of his alma mater. "When I walked out on the field and saw 76,000 people in the stands ... Nobody knew the scope of the event. They didn't have any idea."

Over the years, what was once a football game has evolved into a weeklong celebration, carving out a niche for itself around the Thanksgiving holiday--a time when most college football teams' seasons have ended.

Last year, celebrities such as Miss America Erika Harold, and actors Nick Cannon and Orlando Jones (stars of the hit movie Drumline) participated in the festivities. The game itself and the halftime show featuring the high-stepping, world-renowned bands and dancers from both schools attract a national TV audience. NBC will broadcast the game for the 13th consecutive year.

And it's not just about the game, which attracts up to 70,000 fans each year. On Friday night, the marching bands from both schools--the "Human Jukebox" of Southern and the "Marching Tigers" of Grambling State--crank it up for the annual "Battle of the Bands" in the Superdome before 30,000 screaming fans. Also on Friday night, fraternities and sororities from both universities put on a step show, competing for cash prizes. And on game day, the all-day fan festival attracts thousands to the Superdome.

In addition to those entertainment elements, the Bayou Classic hosts a job fair. It's a way for students at both schools, organizers say, to get a head start on that internship or job of their dreams, particularly in this difficult job market. And neither school misses an opportunity to put their best faces forward on the national stage to generate interest in their school and attract potential students.

"[The Classic] gives our younger people--the high school students and elementary school students--a look at college life," says Dr. Warner, a Gramblinite from New Orleans, whose family is mostly Southern alumni. "It gives them a connection to higher education."

To celebrate the 30th annual game this year, organizers have many special plans for the event that has given birth to so many others (13 major Black college classics at last count).

The game itself could have far-reaching implications. Southern, which has beaten Grambling nine of the last 10 Bayou Classics, and holds a 15-14 edge in the series, is looking to improve after a 2002 season that was plagued with injuries, says 11-year head coach Pete Richardson, who has All-SWAC cornerback Lenny Williams leading the defense.

"You can say it's an ordinary game, but it's not," Richardson says. "When you play in the Bayou Classic, you can almost scratch the records. You're talking about a very emotional game."

Grambling, which has won the last three SWAC and National Black College championships under Williams, began the season as the odds-on favorites to do it again. The team is led by record-setting junior quarterback Bruce Eugene, who generates nearly 400 yards of total offense per game.