Bayou Classic

Bayou Classic
State Farm Bayou Classic
Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
Previous stadiums	Tulane Stadium Reliant Stadium
Previous locations	New Orleans, Louisiana (2009)
Operated	1974 - Present
Sponsors
State Farm Insurance
2011 matchup
Grambling vs. Southern (36-12)
2012 matchup
Grambling vs. Southern (November 24, 2012)

The State Farm Bayou Classic is the annual college football game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars, first held under that name in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, although the series itself actually began in 1936. Since 1978 the game has been held the final Saturday in November (i.e., the Saturday after Thanksgiving) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. A Waterford crystal trophy is awarded to the winning school. The game has had State Farm Insurance as its primary sponsor since 1996. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, organizers moved the 2005 event from the Superdome to Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, where many of New Orleans' evacuees were living. This was the first time ever that the Bayou Classic was held outside of Louisiana. The 2006 Bayou Classic returned to the Superdome in New Orleans.

It is the best known game and rivalry in historically black college football and is televised in the USA by NBC. The Bayou Classic is the only NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) game to be shown regularly on broadcast television. Fans have been known to refer to it as the "Black Super Bowl," although that name is not used in any official capacity by either school due to the National Football League's restrictions on the use of the "Super Bowl" name. Both schools typically forgo Division I-AA playoff eligibility to participate in the Bayou Classic. The game is one of two black college football classics to be associated with Thanksgiving weekend; the other is the older, but less known, Turkey Day Classic, held two days prior on Thanksgiving itself.

Other activities

Of the many festivities held in conjunction with the game, the most well-known and well-attended is the two-part Battle of the Bands, where both universitys' marching bands (The Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band, also known as "The World Famed," and the Southern University Marching Band, also known as "The Human Jukebox") perform. Following the official Greek show, the two renowned bands stage elaborately choreographed performances on the Friday night before the game. The second part is during the football games' halftime show. There is no official judge for the band events. Other festivities include a golf tournament, a Thanksgiving Day Parade which was brought back in 2011, a Grambling vs. Southern beauty pageant and a job fair for graduating students of both schools.

Impact

The Bayou Classic is a source of tourism revenue (over $75 million for more 30 years plus) to the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.^{[citation needed]} The success of the game has inspired the promotion of numerous other HBCU rivalries and "Classics".

Series history

University Comparison

School	Grambling State University	Southern University
Established	1901	1880
Location	Grambling, Louisiana	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Students	4,994	10,300
Athletic Logo
Conference	SWAC	SWAC
Nickname	Tigers	Jaguars
School Colors
Victories	20	18
Winning Years	1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1983 1984 1985 1986 1989 1990 1992 2001 2004 2005 2008 2009 2010 2011	1979 1981 1982 1987 1988 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2006 2007

Grambling is ahead in the overall series 30-29. Grambling State leads the Bayou Classic series 20-18 after a 36-12 win in 2011. Grambling claims the longest winning streak in the all-time series, 9 games from 1970 to 1979. Southern claims the longest winning streak in the Bayou Classic, 8 games from 1993-2000. Grambling's 43-6 victory in 1980 ranks number 1 in the largest margin of victory in the series.

Game results

Grambling victories are shaded in ██ gold, and Southern victories are shaded ██ blue.

Date	Winning team		Losing team		Site	Series
November 23, 1974	Grambling	21	Southern	0	Tulane Stadium, New Orleans	Grambling 1-0
November 22, 1975	Grambling	33	Southern	17	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 2-0
November 27, 1976	Grambling	10	Southern	2	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 3-0
November 26, 1977	Grambling	55	Southern	20	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 4-0
November 25, 1978	Grambling	28	Southern	15	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 5-0
December 1, 1979	Southern	14	Grambling	7	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 5-1
November 29, 1980	Grambling	43	Southern	6	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 6-1
November 21, 1981	Southern	50	Grambling	20	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 6-2
November 27, 1982	Southern	22	Grambling	17	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 6-3
November 26, 1983	Grambling	24	Southern	10	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 7-3
November 24, 1984	Grambling	31	Southern	29	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 8-3
November 23, 1985	Grambling	29	Southern	12	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 9-3
November 29, 1986	Grambling	30	Southern	3	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 10-3
November 28, 1987	Southern	27	Grambling	21	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 10-4
November 26, 1988	Southern	10	Grambling	3	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 10-5
November 18, 1989	Grambling	44	Southern	30	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 11-5
November 24, 1990	Grambling	25	Southern	13	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 12-5
November 30, 1991	Southern	31	Grambling	30	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 12-6
November 28, 1992	Grambling	30	Southern	27	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 13-6
November 27, 1993	Southern	31	Grambling	13	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 13-7
November 26, 1994	Southern	34	Grambling	7	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 13-8
November 25, 1995	Southern	30	Grambling	14	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 13-9
November 30, 1996	Southern	17	Grambling	12	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 13-10
November 29, 1997	Southern	30	Grambling	7	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 13-11
November 28, 1998	Southern	26	Grambling	14	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 13-12
November 27, 1999	Southern	37	Grambling	31	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Tied 13-13
November 25, 2000	Southern	33	Grambling	29	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Southern 14-13
November 24, 2001	Grambling	30	Southern	20	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Tied 14-14
November 30, 2002	Southern	48	Grambling	24	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Southern 15-14
November 29, 2003	Southern	44	Grambling	41	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Southern 16-14
November 27, 2004	Grambling	24	Southern	13	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Southern 16-15
November 26, 2005	Grambling	50	Southern	35	Reliant Stadium, Houston	Tied 16-16
November 25, 2006	Southern	21	Grambling	17	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Southern 17-16
November 24, 2007	Southern	22	Grambling	13	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Southern 18-16
November 29, 2008	Grambling	29	Southern	14	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Southern 18-17
November 28, 2009	Grambling	31	Southern	13	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Tied 18-18
November 27, 2010	Grambling	38	Southern	17	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 19-18
November 26, 2011	Grambling	36	Southern	12	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans	Grambling 20-18

See also

• List of black college football classics‎

External links

• www.MyBayouClassic.com -- Official web site
• Ebony Magazine article about the game