CANTON, Ohio – Virginia Union University and Miles College are set to face off in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic in Canton this year.
The game – now dubbed “Clash at The Classic” – is 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31. The game also will feature each school’s band performances and is part of four days of community events.
This is the first time in the six-year history of the Labor Day weekend game that will pit the defending champions from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The conferences are composed primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
In 2024, Virginia Union went 10-4 in the CIAA. Miles of the SIAC finished 10-3.
Virginia Union is making its second appearance in the game. The Panthers defeated Morehouse College, 45-13, in the 2023 Classic.
It’s Miles’ inaugural appearance in the Classic and will serve as coach Chris Goode’s first game leading the Golden Bears of Fairfield, Alabama.
Multiple community events are scheduled Thursday, Aug 28, to Sunday, Aug. 31, in conjunction with the game:
• College and job fairs
• Community Day with Habitat for Humanity
• Golf at historic Clearview Golf Club in East Canton
• Battle of the bands
• Unveiling of the Black College Football Hall of Fame class of 2025 plaques
• Official all white affair (in collaboration with Omega Psi Phi fraternity’s Kappa Tau chapter)
• Cecelia Ponder interfaith service
• HBCU family block party
• Tailgate
• Faith, family and football gospel concert
• Minority business reception
The Black College Football Hall of Fame is within the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thirty-five members of Pro Football Hall of Fame – about 10% of the players enshrined in Canton – attended an HBCU.
Black College Football Hall of Fame class of 2025
• Henry Dyer – Grambling State University (1963-65).
• Fred “Pop” Long – Paul Quinn College (1921-22), Wiley College (1923-1947, 1956-1965), Prairie View A&M (1948) and Texas College (1949-1954).
• Rashean Mathis – Bethune Cookman (1999-2002).
• Jacquay Nunnally – Florida A&M University (1997-2000).
• Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – Tennessee State University (2004-07).
• Jay “Sky” Walker – Howard University (1992-93).
NFL Network will broadcast the game. Ticket prices vary. Go to mpv.tickets.com.
History
Click on the year for coverage of previous games:
2024: Virginia State 23, Benedict College 7
2023: Virginia Union 45, Morehouse College 13
2022: Central State 41, Winston-Salem State 21
2021: Grambling State 16, Tennessee State 10
2020: No game (coronavirus pandemic)
2019: Alabama A&M 35, Morehouse College 30
I cover restaurants, drinks, sports-related and other topics on our life and culture team. For my recent stories, here’s a cleveland.com directory. WTAM-1100’s Bill Wills and I talk food and drink at 8:35 a.m. Tuesdays. Twitter and IG: @mbona30. To check out my books, go to marcbona.net.
Want to know what’s going on in the weekend? Sign up for cleveland.com’s weekly “In the CLE” email newsletter. Also: Follow @DineDrinkCLE on Instagram.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
