{"id":5220,"date":"2021-11-19T20:13:05","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T20:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/?p=5220"},"modified":"2021-11-19T20:13:08","modified_gmt":"2021-11-19T20:13:08","slug":"welcome-back-the-florida-classic-to-orlando","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/?p=5220","title":{"rendered":"Welcome back the FLORIDA CLASSIC to Orlando"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Florida Classic is more than just a football game and more than an in-state rivalry. It is now the nation\u2019s largest football game between two Historically Black College\/University (HBCU) schools, surpassing the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern in New Orleans as the top attended game in NCAA Division I-AA. Since its inception in 1978, the game has now seen over\u00a02 million<\/strong>\u00a0spectators attend the game (2,048,378).\"\"<\/a>A Sunshine State rivalry dating back nearly a century and an Orlando institution for 24 years and counting, the Florida Blue Florida Classic is more than just nation\u2019s largest annual HBCU football game \u2014 it\u2019s a celebration of sports, family, music and culture that is woven into the fabric of Central Florida.<\/p>\n

The first matchup between Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University took place in Tallahassee in 1925. Through 74 meetings thus far, the Rattlers hold a 50-24-1 series lead, thanks in large part to FAMU\u2019s early success \u2014 including a run of 25 wins in 26 games between 1930 and 1972, the final game in that stretch serving as the final meeting at Welch Memorial Stadium in Daytona Beach.<\/p>\n

By that time, the event had outgrown the teams\u2019 respective home stadiums, and during the early- and mid-1970s, organizers held the game at multiple venues throughout the state, including Doak Campbell Stadium, Daytona International Speedway and Camping World Stadium \u2014 then known as the Florida Citrus Bowl, coming on the heels of a major expansion, in 1976 \u2014 in search of the right host.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the schools agreed on a permanent location, and in 1978 the \u201cFlorida Classic\u201d was officially born, with Florida A&M and head coach Rudy Hubbard (a former Woody Hayes assistant) helping his team turn a 17-0 halftime deficit into a 27-17 win in the premiere game, a victory that ultimately proved critical during the Rattlers\u2019 run to the inaugural NCAA Division 1-AA title.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t until the game returned to Orlando for good in 1997 that the rivalry truly found its perfect fit \u2014 as evidenced by the 56,351 fans in attendance for Orlando\u2019s first \u201cClassic,\u201d more than 25,000 more than the previous year in Tampa.<\/p>\n

In the years since, the move up I-4 has proved to be a boon for both universities, as well as The City Beautiful, with more than 1.3 million game attendees passing through the turnstiles over the past two decades, an average of more than 60,000 fans per game. Since the rivalry put down roots in Orlando, B-CU holds a 13-10 advantage in the series, with each game seemingly more thrilling than the last.<\/p>\n

In addition to the star power on the gridiron \u2014 with such names as Rashean Mathis, Nick Collins, Eric Weems and Quinn Gray dotting rosters since the move to Orlando \u2014 FAMU\u2019s Marching 100 and B-CU\u2019s Marching Wildcats always provide the perfect soundtrack for Classic weekend with their memorable halftime performances, while the pregame FanFare outside the stadium offers a tailgate experience unlike any other.<\/p>\n

A cross between a family reunion, a can\u2019t-miss music festival and an action-packed game, the Florida Blue Florida Classic has grown from a fierce small-school rivalry to a nationally-televised, must-see spectacle in Central Florida. And with a centrally-located, first-class venue playing the role of host to these historic institutions, the future of the Classic is ripe with promise.<\/p>\n

Florida Classic\u00a0Night of Distinction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Thursday, November 18\u00a0|\u00a06:00 p.m. \u2013 9:00 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Varsity Club at Camping World Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

Join us as we kick off the Florida Blue Florida Classic weekend with an evening of fun celebrating Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University.<\/p>\n

During this VIP event, we will recognize select individuals for their contributions to the game, the Florida Classic Consortium, and both historic institutions.<\/p>\n

Diversity Job Fair<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Friday, November 19\u00a0<\/strong>|\u00a011 a.m. \u2013 3 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amway Center<\/strong>\u00a0(free parking in GEICO Garage)<\/p>\n

Before Battle of the Bands \u2013 The Florida Blue Florida Classic Diversity Job Fair takes over the Amway\u00a0Cent<\/span><\/span>er. Over 125 employers, 6,000 jobs, career sessions, resume review and more will be available at the job fair and career expo. This is the largest Diversity Job Fair in Florida. Full information can be found at the link below.<\/p>\n

Florida Classic Consortium Kickoff Luncheon<\/strong><\/h3>\n

PRESENTED BY FLORIDA BLUE<\/h4>\n

Friday, November 19\u00a0|\u00a011:30 a.m. Doors; 12:00 p.m. Program<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Classic weekend gets started with players, pep bands, university officials and student leaders gathering to celebrate the season, preview the upcoming matchup and show that Rattlers and Wildcats remain divided on the field but united in the world. Individual tickets are $55 (including lunch) while a table of 10 (including lunch) is $550.<\/p>\n

Florida Blue Battle of the Bands<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Friday, November 19<\/strong>\u00a0|\u00a07:00 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amway Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get ready for crowd-pleasing dance teams, high-stepping drum majors, precision drumlines and roaring brass sections. Tickets start at just $16!<\/p>\n

Florida Blue Florida Classic<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Saturday, November 20 | 3:30 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Camping World Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

FanFest<\/strong>\u00a0(11:30 a.m.) \u2013 Free admission<\/p>\n

Historic rivals Bethune-Cookman University and Florida A&M University meet on the gridiron for the Florida Blue Florida Classic.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Florida Classic is more than just a football game and more than an in-state rivalry. It is now the nation\u2019s largest football game between two Historically Black College\/University (HBCU) schools, surpassing the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern in New Orleans as the top attended game in NCAA Division I-AA. Since its inception in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5220","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-big-10"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ampsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/FAMU-vs-B-CU.jpg?fit=1728%2C801&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}