Birmingham hosts the Morehouse Tuskegee Classic for the first time
Morehouse Tuskegee Classic Flyer
Since 1902, the Morehouse Maroon Tigers and the Tuskegee Golden Tigers have fought it out on the gridiron. It’s the oldest football rivalry among historically black colleges, and this Saturday the game is in Birmingham.
Historically, Columbus, Georgia has hosted the Morehouse Tuskegee Classic, but the City of Birmingham was able to snatch it away. This adds to the HBCU Classic culture that already exists in Birmingham with the Magic City Classic, the annual game between Alabama State and Alabama A&M Universities.
LRY Media,Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University’s Marching Crimson Piper Band performing for a halftime show.
Jordan Davis is a Morehouse alum and grew up in Birmingham. He says he’s looking forward to having the game here.
“When I was at Morehouse, I think everyone knew I was from Birmingham. I put on for my city! And so, it really feels like a dream come true to have my alma mater playing in my hometown,” he said.
LRY Media,Morehouse College
Morehouse’s Maroon Tigers football team.
Cornell Wesley, the Director of Innovation and Economic Opportunity for Birmingham and a Morehouse Alum, believes this is a unique opportunity to bring to the city.
“I think obviously from a relationship standpoint, [the mayor] had an audience that both institutions, that other administrations historically haven’t had just by sheer fact of him being an alum,” Wesley said.
Wesley’s Deputy Director, Coreata Houser, who is a Tuskegee alum, believes that the game will bring more opportunity to the city.
“Birmingham being centrally located, I think the amount of traffic that could drive into Birmingham versus Columbus was a great appeal to both schools,” he said. “The airport is here, so alumni can easily come in and out without having to worry about driving.”
LRY Media,Morehouse College
Morehouse College’s House of Funk Marching Band.
This weekend, the Morehouse Tuskegee Classic, along with UAB’s home game and Miles College’s Homecoming are expected to bring $15 million in economic impact to the city.
Jessica Knight also grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Tuskegee. She says she is looking forward to seeing a lot of her college friends.
“This is a lot of our first game since after the pandemic. It’s just going to be good to see everybody, see familiar faces and just enjoy the time spending together,” she said. “I think that’s what we really are looking for because Tuskegee is definitely one big happy family.”
The Morehouse Tuskegee Classic will be played Saturday at Legion Field with kickoff starting at 7 p.m. The game will return to Birmingham next year and in 2023.
Editor’s note: The quote from Jessica Knight in this story makes a reference to “after the pandemic”. We believe she was referring to the period of time when large public gatherings (such as football games) were not permitted or greatly reduced in size — contrasting that time period with current attendance protocols. Her words are not intended to convey medical information or advice. The Covid-19 pandemic is still an ongoing public health emergency in Alabama per Governor Ivey’s order of August 13, 2021.
LRY Media ,Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University’s Golden Tigers football team.
Arizona woman to serve 8 years for identity theft scheme benefiting North Korea
Christina Chapman was sentenced to prison this week for her role in a scheme that the DOJ said used stolen American identities in order to help illegally employ North Koreans in U.S. companies.
Lawmakers seek to ban federal agents from wearing masks
ICE says its employees have good reasons to hide their faces from protesters who want to dox them online, but Democrats say masked federal agents evokes "secret police," and the practice should be banned.
Independent grocery stores have had a tough five years. SNAP cuts will make it harder
The bulk of sales for many independent grocers come from SNAP. Cuts to the program could leave some making hard decisions about their future.
Education Department says it’s releasing more than $5 billion in frozen grants
The grants fund a wide range of education programs, including migrant education, services for English language learners and adult education.
Are you a single mom? We want to hear from you about your challenges and life experiences
About 40% of all births in America are to unmarried women according to the U.S. Census. Are there situations and challenges that are unique to single moms? We'd like to hear about them.
Maren Morris is searching for something sweeter on ‘Dreamsicle’
On her first record following her divorce, the Texas star navigates her bisexuality, motherhood and the do's and don'ts of dating in your 30s.
