Orange Blossom Classic

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The Orange Blossom Classic is an American annual college football game first held from 1933 to 1978 and again since 2021. Starting back up in 2021 the game has been played on Labor Day weekend.

History

In its first incarnation, the Classic featured two historically black colleges and universities (HBCU)—Florida A&M and another program. The game sometimes served as a de facto championship game, depending on the record of the participating teams. The game was played late in the season, with Florida A&M inviting another top black team as its opponent. The game could be seen as a mythical "Black National Championship" game. For example, the December 5, 1942, Afro American newspaper refers to the 1942 game as a national title game, as does at least one source for the 1945 game. From 1952 to 1962, 10 of the 11 teams that won the Classic were named national champions. However, there were also numerous seasons in which neither Florida A&M nor its Classic opponent were selected as national champions.

The Classic was discontinued after its 1978 playing. The name was sometimes applied to subsequent regular-season meetings between Florida A&M and the FIU Panthers.

In its second incarnation, the Classic returned in 2021. That season, Florida A&M played Jackson State in a season opening game at Hard Rock Stadium in September. The game has continued as an annual early-season contest between those two programs. The 2022 matchup had the second most viewed HBCU football game with close to 958,000 viewers, trailing only the Celebration Bowl. In 2024 Florida A&M will no longer play in the game and the will find another team to play Jackson State. In 2024 the game had a weather delay for an hour and twenty minute delay because of lightning in the area.

Game results

1933–1978

Denotes a team selected as Black college football national champions for the season in question (in some seasons, different teams were named champions by different selectors).

Rankings from The Pittsburgh Courier (1946–1958, 1961–1969), Associated Negro Press (1959–1960), and Jet (1973–1978)

2021–present

Appearances by team

Source:

Notes

References

References

1. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/03/sports/football/05blossom.html?fta=y Super Bowl Catches Up to Orange Blossom Classic], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 3, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2009.
2. Tremene Triplett, [http://www.sfltimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1182&Itemid=144 Fans, coaches, athletes reminisce about the historic Orange Blossom Classic], ''South Florida Times'', March 14, 2008, retrieved February 7, 2009.
3. (February 17, 2011). "UW Athletics Black History: football assistant coach Les Ritcherson".
4. (18 May 2021). "HBCU Football: The Orange Blossom Classic returns after 43 years".
5. (4 September 2023). "Florida A&M leave Orange Blossom Classic". [[yahoo]].
6. "Bowl/all star game records".
7. (December 9, 1933). "Florida A. & M. Upsets Howard, 9-6, In Thriller". [[Pittsburgh Courier]].
8. (December 15, 1934). "Rattlers Nose Out Trojans, 13 To 12". [[Pittsburgh Courier]].
9. (December 8, 1935). "Negro Football". [[Miami Herald]].
10. (December 14, 1935). "Rattlers Hold KY. In Hectic 2nd Half". [[Pittsburgh Courier]].
11. (December 11, 1936). "5,000 See Prairie View Beat Florida, 6-0, In Orange Blossom Game". [[St. Louis Argus]].
12. (December 5, 1937). "Hampton Loses To A.&M. 25-20". The Sunday Sentinel-Star.
13. (December 4, 1938). "Florida Rattlers Beat Kentucky, 9-7, For National Title". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat.
14. Moorne, Halody. (December 16, 1939). "Florida's Orange Blossom Classic Is Joke Of Season". [[The Black Dispatch]].
15. Jones, Melancholy. (December 14, 1940). "Terrific Defenses Feature 0-0 Tie At Orlando; 7,000 See 8th Classic". The Phoenix Index.
16. (December 7, 1941). "Tuskegee Loses To Florida A. And M., Orange Blossom Tilt". [[The Birmingham News]].
17. (December 13, 1942). "Florida Takes Over Negro College Title". [[Star-News]].
18. Jackson, Wilton. (September 6, 2021). "Deion Sanders's Defense Seals Victory for Jackson State in Orange Blossom Classic vs. Florida A&M".
19. Becton, Stan. (September 4, 2022). "How Jackson State dominated Florida A&M 59-3 to win 2022 Orange Blossom Classic".
20. Kelley, Kevin. (January 6, 2023). "Jackson State, Florida A&M to play in 2023 Orange Blossom Classic".
21. "Starks, in first college start, leads Howard past Florida A&M 10-9 with two-minute drill heroics"
22. ''Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book'', [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]], p. 367–368.