Memphis has become a traditional site for HBCU football over the past 33 years, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is set to finally play its part there.
The Golden Lions will make the trip from Pine Bluff to “the Bluff City” Saturday to play in the Southern Heritage Classic for the first time against Tennessee State University. UAPB coach Alonzo Hampton said playing in a classic has a different feeling.
“People been talking about this game all summer,” Hampton said. “Let’s be honest. I don’t even know if we had 200 fans at the Tulsa game. I can guarantee you, we’ll paint the town black and gold in Memphis. So, everybody’s been excited about it.” The Southern Heritage Classic has been played nearly every year since 1990. The game wasn’t played in 2018 because of weather and 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Other than 2001, when the game was postponed to later in the year following the Sept. 11 attacks, the Classic has drawn over 40,000 fans each game since 1993.
Although the football game is the centerpiece of the Classic, the festivities will begin well before Saturday’s 6 p.m. kickoff at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. According to the Classic’s website, Gladys Knight and Jammin’ Jay Lamont will perform Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre. Friday will feature a college and career fair.
Saturday, tailgating begins at 8 a.m., as does the Penny Hardaway Memphis District Golf Classic at Tunica Resorts. The Classic Parade starts at 9 a.m., and the Battle of the Bands will be at 11 a.m. at Whitehaven High School. The Classic Fashions and Brunch will also be at 11 a.m. at The Guest House at Graceland.
The Classic 5th Quarter will feature another battle of the bands after the game. Of course, the Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South and TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands will both perform at halftime.
Hampton said UAPB needs its fans to make the trip to Memphis.
“Get there early,” Hampton said. “Get there on Friday night. Enjoy all the festivities. I told my team on Sunday, the party’s not for us. The game’s for us. That’s where we get our enjoyment from. So, let’s go out there and concentrate and do what we’re supposed to do. Let’s restore the pride, and let’s get UAPB back on track.” The game has traditionally featured HBCU rivals Jackson State University and Tennessee State. The schools began playing in Memphis because it was roughly halfway between Nashville, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss., making it easier for fans to attend each year.
Jackson State has won the past three Classics after Tennessee State had won six straight prior to 2019.
Tennessee State won the inaugural Classic 23-14 in 1990. Mississippi Valley State replaced Jackson State in the 1991 game and won 10-7. JSU earned its first win in the Classic the following season, 38-18. Grambling State defeated Tennessee State 33-28 in 1993. JSU and TSU have played in every Classic since, until this season.
In February 2022, then-head coach Deion Sanders said JSU would not play in the Classic for the final two years of the contract, which runs through the 2024 season, saying JSU didn’t make enough money from the game to offset the travel costs.
Last December, Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones announced UAPB would take JSU’s place for the 2023 and 2024 games.