Bayou Classic

Bayou Classic
State Farm Bayou Classic
Stadium	Louisiana Superdome
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
Previous Stadiums	Tulane Stadium Reliant Stadium
Previous Locations	Houston, Texas (2005)
Operated	1974 - Present
Sponsors
State Farm Insurance
2008 Matchup
Southern vs. Grambling (29-14)
2009 Matchup
Grambling vs. Southern (November 28, 2009)

The State Farm Bayou Classic is the annual college football game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars, first held in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Since 1978 the game has been held the final Saturday in November at the Louisiana Superdome. A Waterford crystal trophy is awarded to the winning school. The game has had State Farm Insurance as its primary sponsor since 1996. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, organizers moved the 2005 event from the Superdome to Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, where many of New Orleans' evacuees were living. This was the first time ever that the Bayou Classic was held outside of Louisiana. The 2006 Bayou Classic returned to the Superdome in New Orleans.

It is the best known game and rivalry in historically black college football and is televised in the USA by NBC. The Bayou Classic is one of a number of NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) games to be shown nationally on broadcast television. Both schools typically forgo Division I-AA playoff eligibility to participate in the Bayou Classic.

Other activities

Of the many festivities held in conjunction with the game, the most well-known and well-attended is the Battle of the Bands, where both schools' marching bands (The Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band, also known as "The World Famed," and the Southern University Marching Band, also known as the Human Jukebox) stage elaborately choreographed performances before the game, at halftime and following the game.

Impact

The Bayou Classic is a source of tourism revenue (over $75 million for more 30 years plus) to the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.^{[citation needed]} The success of the game has inspired the promotion of numerous other HBCU rivalries and "Classics".

Series History

University Comparison

Logo
School	Grambling State University	Southern University
Established	1901	1880
Location	Grambling, Louisiana	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Students	4,988	10,300
Athletic Logo
Conference	SWAC	SWAC
Nickname	Tigers	Jaguars
School Colors
Victories	18	18
Winning Years	1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1983 1984 1985 1986 1989 1990 1992 2001 2004 2005 2008 2009	1979 1981 1982 1987 1988 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2006 2007

The series is tied 18-18 after Grambling State won 31-13 in 2009. Southern claims the longest winning streak, 8 games from 1993-2000. Grambling claims the longest winning streak in the all-time series, 9 games from 1970 to 1979. Southern leads the all-time series with Grambling, 29 to 27. Grambling's 43-6 victory in 1980 ranks number 1 in the largest margin of victory in the series. ^[1]

Game statistics

Grambling victories are shaded in ██ gold, and Southern victories are shaded ██ blue.

See also

• List of black college football classics‎

References

External links

• www.statefarmbayouclassic.com -- Official web site
• Ebony Magazine article about the game