The annual clash in New Orleans between the Grambling State
University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars represents
the fiercest and most anticipated in-state football rivalry in
Louisiana. The most significant national game to feature
historically black colleges and universities is more than a
contest; the Bayou Classic is a lavish event, featuring
celebrities, a fan festival, and a halftime "Battle of the Bands"
that offers an intensity equal to that of the gridiron. In Bayou
Classic, Thomas Aiello chronicles the history of the game and
explores the two schools' broader significance to Louisiana, to
sports, and to the black community.
When the Southern University Bushmen football team traveled to
Monroe, Louisiana, to play the Tigers of Louisiana Negro Normal and
Industrial Institute for the first time on Armistice Day, 1932, few
realized they were witnessing the birth of a phenomenon. Aiello
recounts Southern's early dominance over the smaller, two-year
institution; Southern's acceptance into the Southwestern Athletic
Conference; Grambling's hiring of the legendary Eddie Robinson, who
would lead the Tigers to 408 wins between 1941 and 1997;
Grambling's first victory over Southern; and years of alternating
home and away games. In 1974, the rivalry found a neutral site in
New Orleans -- first at Tulane Stadium and then the Superdome --
and became the "Bayou Classic." An NBC television contract
introduced the Bayou Classic to a nationwide audience and completed
the transformation of the game into a major event. The Bayou
Classic remains the only nationally broadcast game between two
historically black schools. Aiello supplements his colorful
narrative with period photographs and informative appendices
providing game results, statistics, and all-star teams from every
year the schools have played.
"To appreciate the rivalry," Coach Eddie Robinson once noted,
"you have to realize Grambling and Southern fans are close friends,
as well as relatives." Bayou Classic offers a splendid history for
fans, friends, and those who want to know more about this special
game.
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