Labor Day Classic

The Labor Day Classic is an annual American football "classic" which features Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, two of Texas' largest historically black universities on Labor Day weekend. It is played at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston or Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field in Prairie View, Texas. The classic is always the first matchup between two Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) teams of the football season.[1]

Labor Day Classic
SportFootball
First meetingOctober 31, 1947
Texas Southern, 13–7
Latest meetingSeptember 4, 2023
Prairie View A&M, 37–34 (OT)
Next meeting2024
TrophyDurley-Nicks Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total79
All-time seriesTexas Southern leads 44–34–1
Current win streakPrairie View A&M, 9 (2015 to present)
Locations of Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern

The first game between the two schools was in 1947. However, the classic began in 1985. In 1990, Texas Southern played and defeated the Hampton University Pirates since Prairie View A&M did not field a football team that year.

The schools compete for the Durley-Nicks Trophy named after the two most legendary coaches from both schools. Alexander Durley is the winningest head football coach in Texas Southern football history. Billy Nicks, Sr. won five mythical black college national championships (last being in 1968) as head coach at Prairie View A&M.[2]

The classic is accompanied by a fellowship luncheon/press conference hosted by The Touchdown Club of Houston, a golf tournament, pep rallies, tailgating, various social mixers, and a highly anticipated battle of the bands on Friday and Saturday night between Texas Southern's Ocean of Soul and Prairie View's Marching Storm.

The 2005 Labor Day Classic was postponed to Thanksgiving weekend due to many Hurricane Katrina relief efforts happening in Houston. An estimated 250,000 people from the New Orleans area evacuated to Houston seeking refuge from the major hurricane.[3][4]

The 2017 Labor Day Classic was postponed because of the effects of Hurricane Harvey. The game was moved to the end of the season, once again joining two other games featuring SWAC teams, the Turkey Day Classic and Bayou Classic, on Thanksgiving weekend.[5]

The 2018 Labor Day Classic was postponed to the final game of the regular season.[6] Prairie View A&M played in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta, Georgia on Labor Day Weekend.[7]

In 2020, the SWAC postponed all fall play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the Labor Day Classic to be played in March for the first time in the series.

The Labor Day Classic held in March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Game results

Prairie View A&M victoriesTexas Southern victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 1947 Houston, TX Texas Southern 13–7
2 1948 Houston, TX Texas Southern 12–0
3 1948 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 21–0
4 1949 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 13–0
5 1950 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 32–6
6 1951 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 33–13
7 1953 Houston, TX Texas Southern 13–12
8 1954 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 33–8
9 1955 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 14–12
10 1955 Houston, TX Texas Southern 27–18
11 1956 Houston, TX Texas Southern 13–7
12 1957 Dallas, TX Prairie View A&M 27–6
13 1957 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 7–6
14 1958 Houston, TX Tie6–6
15 1958 Dallas, TX Prairie View A&M 26–19
16 1959 Dallas, TX Prairie View A&M 34–15
17 1960 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 35–28
18 1961 Houston, TX Texas Southern 29–14
19 1962 Houston, TX Texas Southern 21–14
20 1963 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 44–6
21 1964 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 16–13
22 1965 Houston, TX Texas Southern 16–0
23 1966 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 31–18
24 1967 Houston, TX Texas Southern 13–3
25 1968 Houston, TX Texas Southern 22–14
26 1969 Houston, TX Texas Southern 10–0
27 1970 Prairie View, TX Texas Southern 17–7
28 1971 Houston, TX Texas Southern 16–6
29 1972 Prairie View, TX Texas Southern 13–0
30 1973 Houston, TX Texas Southern 41–14
31 1974 Houston, TX Texas Southern 30–20
32 1975 Prairie View, TX Texas Southern 18–14
33 1976 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 22–15
34 1977 Houston, TX Texas Southern 29–28
35 1978 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 20–6
36 1979 Houston, TX Texas Southern 43–8
37 1980 Houston, TX Texas Southern 21–6
38 1981 Houston, TX Texas Southern 19–0
39 1982 Prairie View, TX Texas Southern 35–0
40 1983 Houston, TX Texas Southern 28–20
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
41 1984 Houston, TX Texas Southern 51–0
42 1985 Houston, TX Texas Southern 19–7
43 1986 Houston, TX Texas Southern 38–35
44 1987 Houston, TX Texas Southern 30–21
45 1988 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 13–10
46 1989 Houston, TX Texas Southern 45–7
47 1991 Houston, TX Texas Southern 23–6
48 1992 Houston, TX Texas Southern 35–0
49 1993 Houston, TX Texas Southern 38–8
50 1994 Houston, TX Texas Southern 20–13
51 1995 Houston, TX Texas Southern 50–8
52 1996 Houston, TX Texas Southern 42–24
53 1997 Houston, TX Texas Southern 32–16
54 1998 Houston, TX Texas Southern 24–13
55 1999 Houston, TX Texas Southern 34–0
56 2000 Houston, TX Texas Southern 42–0
57 2001 Houston, TX Texas Southern 17–0
58 2002 Houston, TX Texas Southern 44–14
59 2003 Houston, TX Texas Southern 42–3
60 2004 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 25–7
61 2005 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 30–27
62 2006 Houston, TX Texas Southern 17–14
63 2007 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 34–14
64 2008 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 34–14
65 2009 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 17–7
66 2010 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 16–14
67 2011 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 37–34
68 2012 Houston, TX Texas Southern 44–41
69 2013 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 37–13
70 2014 Houston, TX Texas Southern 37–35
71 2015 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 38–11
72 2016 Prairie View, TX Prairie View A&M 29–25
73 2017 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 30–16
74 2018 Prairie View, TX Prairie View A&M 60–14
75 2019 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 44–23
76 2021 Prairie View, TX Prairie View A&M 20–19
77 2021 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 40–17
78 2022 Prairie View, TX Prairie View A&M 40–23
79 2023 Houston, TX Prairie View A&M 37–34 (OT)
Series: Texas Southern leads 44–34–1

See also

References

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