Battle of the Bay (rivalry)
The Battle of the Bay [1] between the Hampton Pirates and the Norfolk State State Spartans is a rivalry match-up in football between two HBCUs in the state of Virginia.
Sport | Football |
---|---|
First meeting | October 19, 1963 Norfolk State, 42–0 |
Latest meeting | September 9, 2023 Norfolk State, 31–23 |
Next meeting | 2024 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 58 |
All-time series | Norfolk State leads 30–27–1 |
Largest victory | Hampton, 60–0 (1992) Norfolk State, 52–0 (1970) |
Longest win streak | Hampton, 5 (2002–2006) Norfolk State, 6 (1969–1974) |
Current win streak | Norfolk State, 1 (2023–present) |
History
Private Hampton University and public Norfolk State University are both located in the Hampton Roads region of coastal Virginia. The two schools are located, respectively, in Hampton, Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia, across the James River from each other. As the name of the rivalry suggests, the James River empties into the Chesapeake Bay just downstream.
Hampton and Norfolk State were both members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the FCS. On November 16, 2017, Hampton announced that they were becoming a member of the Big South Conference in 2018. The two teams are scheduled to meet again through 2024.[2]
The football series began in 1963 and has been played a total of 58 times as of 2023.
Game results
Hampton victories | Norfolk State victories | Tie games |
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References
- "Hampton bounces Norfolk State 27-17 in Battle of the Bay". NCAA. Chicago Tribune. October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- "Hampton, Norfolk State set to resume "Battle of the Bay" in 2021". FBSchedules.com. 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2019-11-03.