Orange Blossom Classic
The Orange Blossom Classic is an American annual college football game first held between 1933 and 1978 and again since 2021.
| Orange Blossom Classic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium |
| Location | Miami Gardens, Florida |
| Previous stadiums | Several, including the Miami Orange Bowl and Tinker Field |
| Previous locations | Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa |
| Operated | 1933–1978; 2021–present |
| Sponsors | |
| 2022 matchup | |
| Jackson State vs. Florida A&M (Jackson State 59–3) | |
| 2023 matchup | |
| Jackson State vs. Florida A&M (Florida A&M 28–10) | |
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,[2] 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.[2] The game could be seen as a mythical "Black National Championship" game.[3] 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.[4] 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.[2]
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.[5] The game has continued as an annual early-season contest between those two programs. The 2022 matchup had the 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.[6]
Game results
1933–1978
Note: scores in this section that lack a citation may be unreliable.
‡ 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).
2021–present
| Year | Site | Winner | Loser | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Miami Gardens, Florida | Jackson State | 7 | Florida A&M | 6 | [18] |
| 2022 | Jackson State | 59 | Florida A&M | 3 | [19] | |
| 2023 | Florida A&M | 28 | Jackson State | 10 | [20] | |
Appearances by school
| No. | School | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Florida A&M | 27–21–1 |
| 6 | Grambling State | 3–3 |
| 5 | Jackson State | 3–2 |
| 4 | Kentucky State | 1–3 |
| 4 | Prairie View A&M | 3–1 |
| 3 | Central State | 1–1–1 |
| 3 | Hampton | 1–2 |
| 3 | Maryland Eastern Shore[lower-alpha 1] | 0–3 |
| 3 | Virginia State | 1–2 |
| 2 | Howard | 0–2 |
| 2 | Morgan State | 2–0 |
| 2 | Wiley | 1–1 |
| 1 | Alabama A&M | 0–1 |
| 1 | Alcorn State | 1–0 |
| 1 | Delaware State | 0–1 |
| 1 | Jacksonville State | 1–0 |
| 1 | Langston | 0–1 |
| 1 | North Carolina A&T | 1–0 |
| 1 | North Carolina Central | 0–1 |
| 1 | South Carolina State | 0–1 |
| 1 | Tennessee State | 1–0 |
| 1 | Texas College | 0–1 |
| 1 | Tuskegee | 0–1 |
| 1 | Virginia Union | 1–0 |
Source:[21]
Notes
- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore was known as Maryland State College until 1970.
References
- "Sponsors". orangeblossomclassic.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- Super Bowl Catches Up to Orange Blossom Classic, The New York Times, February 3, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2009.
- Tremene Triplett, Fans, coaches, athletes reminisce about the historic Orange Blossom Classic, South Florida Times, March 14, 2008, retrieved February 7, 2009.
- "UW Athletics Black History: football assistant coach Les Ritcherson". media-newswire.com. February 17, 2011.
- "HBCU Football: The Orange Blossom Classic returns after 43 years". Saturday Blitz. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- "Florida A&M leave Orange Blossom Classic". yahoo.
- "Florida A. & M. Upsets Howard, 9-6, In Thriller". Pittsburgh Courier. December 9, 1933. pp. 2–5. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "Rattlers Nose Out Trojans, 13 To 12". Pittsburgh Courier. December 15, 1934. pp. 2–5. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "Negro Football". Miami Herald. December 8, 1935. p. 1-C. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "Rattlers Hold KY. In Hectic 2nd Half". Pittsburgh Courier. December 14, 1935. pp. 2–4. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "5,000 See Prairie View Beat Florida, 6-0, In Orange Blossom Game". St. Louis Argus. December 11, 1936. p. 6. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "Hampton Loses To A.&M. 25-20". The Sunday Sentinel-Star. December 5, 1937. p. 7 – via newspapers.com.
- "Florida Rattlers Beat Kentucky, 9-7, For National Title". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. December 4, 1938. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- Moorne, Halody (December 16, 1939). "Florida's Orange Blossom Classic Is Joke Of Season". The Black Dispatch. Oklahoma City. p. 8. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- Jones, "Melancholy" (December 14, 1940). "Terrific Defenses Feature 0-0 Tie At Orlando; 7,000 See 8th Classic". The Phoenix Index. p. 6. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "Tuskegee Loses To Florida A. And M., Orange Blossom Tilt". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama. AP. December 7, 1941. p. Sports 8. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "Florida Takes Over Negro College Title". Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. AP. December 13, 1942. p. 8. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- Jackson, Wilton (September 6, 2021). "Deion Sanders's Defense Seals Victory for Jackson State in Orange Blossom Classic vs. Florida A&M". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- Becton, Stan (September 4, 2022). "How Jackson State dominated Florida A&M 59-3 to win 2022 Orange Blossom Classic". NCAA.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- Kelley, Kevin (January 6, 2023). "Jackson State, Florida A&M to play in 2023 Orange Blossom Classic". fbschedules.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book, National Collegiate Athletic Association, p. 367–368.