HBCU Classic games are a celebration of 130 years of Black College Football
The inaugural Toyota HBCU NYC Classic took place September 17th at the Metlife Stadium. The Howard University Bison and Morehouse College Maroon Tigers faced each other on the football field for the first time in seven years. The game concluded with a victory for the Bison who scored 31 points to post a 31-0 shutout win over the Morehouse Tigers.
Over 35,000 fans and alumni took over the parking lot and graced the stands of the Metlife on September 17th. Adorning their college paraphernalia, HBCU tailgaters of all ages partied throughout the parking lot. That excitement carried inside the arena to watch the game and the highly anticipated halftime show. Morehouse alumnus Spike Lee made an appearance to support his fellow Tigers.
To start the weekend, Bison and Tigers from far and wide gathered in Times Square for the HBCU NYC Classic Pep Rally, sponsored by MJ The Musical on Broadway. Cast members, Apollo Levine (Shaw University graduate), Myles Foster (Bowie State University student), and Michelle Mercedes, hosted the crowd calling spectacle on behalf of Black Theatre Day, an open call to action to all Black theater institutions and supporters to join together and amplify the importance of Black theater institutions by recognizing the 200-year legacy of Black theater in the U.S. During the pep rally, senior Gregory Coleman (BA ’23) was presented with a $10,000 scholarship for being an outstanding student.
This was the 37th time in history that they played each other. Howard has a dominating 25-10-2 record against Morehouse all-time. Both teams started the 2021 season with at least four straight losses before achieving their first win.