Top 5 game day atmospheres in black college football
There are a couple of certainties that come with attending a football game at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU); The tailgate is going to be off the charts, the camaraderie and family vibe are going to be in full effect, and you're going to walk away from it wanting a LOT more of the experience if you've never been exposed to it before.
The HBCU football game day experience is synonymous with producing these norms every season, across the board, without fail. While the experience is common in HBCU football circles, certain game-day atmospheres and fan environments have become the epitome of what the Black College football fan experience is all about. Saturday Blitz looks at five of the absolute best in HBCU football.
. Miss. Vets Memorial Stadium. 1. Jackson, MS. . . 2490. jackson state. .
The city of Jackson, Mississippi is home to one of the more storied football programs in HBCU football, Jackson State University. From legendary coaches, John Merritt and W.C. Gorden to NFL hall-of-famers Jakie Slater and Walter Payton, the fandom behind JSU football has run parallel to the overall development and history of HBCU football.
That passion shines through in the game-day experiences that fans are an integral part of. Deion Sanders' tenure as head coach of the JSU was yet another chapter in that legacy. The program that consistently registers near the top of FCS in attendance practically every season will have that popularity far into the future.
And... Oh yeah... One of the best marching bands in the nation, the JSU Sonic Boom Of The South, calls Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium home.
. . 2. . Bragg Memorial Stadium. Tallahassee, FL. . 2419. famu.
Folks that know college football, are familiar with Tallahassee being home of the Florida State University Seminoles. While that may be the case, FSU isn't the only storied program with a passionate fanbase that occupies that city. Bragg Memorial Stadium is also home to a National Championship program.
FAMU is the only HBCU football program to win a National Championship at the NCAA 1-AA (Now known as FCS) level of football. If you ever find yourself in Tally for a Saturday game at Florida A&M, you will immediately understand why.
In the house that the likes of Jake Gaither, Ken Riley, and "Bullet Bob" Hayes built, Bragg Memorial is one of the hardest places to play in all of FCS football. Game days are a sea of orange and green, and halftime intermissions are headlined by the incomparable "Florida A&M "Marching 100", which has a storied legacy that stands on its own.
. 2139. . . Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium. gsu. . Grambling, LA. 3.
There's one name that's become synonymous with HBCU football as an institution, and his name resides on the stadium that his exploits built. The late Eddie G. Robinson's legend is everything that is good about college football. The fandom exudes the same aura for one of the more storied football programs anywhere in college football, at any level.
The "world-famed" Grambling University's marching band, is another storied part of this legacy, being one of the most televised collegiate band programs out there. Add in the down-home hospitality of the fans and you've got yourself a game day experience that you won't forget as a visitor.
THE SHED at Tuskegee University. Students can apply to any number of 53 HBCUs including Tuskegee University with the Common Black College Application at https://t.co/1oQ6tBKWPU. pic.twitter.com/V5VA5Zv1m2
— Common Black College Application (@CommonBlkCollAp) September 21, 2018
4) Tuskegee University - Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Stadium - Tuskegee, AL
The State of Alabama has a ton of places where the football fan experience is sacred, but there may not be a bigger or more enjoyable bang for your buck in terms of a truly dope game day experience than Tuskegee University.
Situated about an hour or so outside of Montgomery (home of another fly place to catch HBCU football, my alma mater, Alabama State University), the confines aren't as big as they are in Auburn or Tuscaloosa, but the tradition and sheer joy and soul that you see there on game days is reflective of the school's storied history, and the pride that students and community alike carry for the institution.
Sitting under "The Shed" during a Tuskegee home game is a bucket list item that you HAVE to check off if you love the spectacle of HBCU football.
5) North Carolina Central University - O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium - Durham, North Carolina
The Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina may not be the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to football traditions (basketball and the Tar Heel state go hand in hand), but there's a real gem of a game day experience for HBCU football fans in Durham proper.
Walk into O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on any given Saturday and you'll know that the fans here take their football product VERY seriously. Home of arguably the winningest HBCU football program over the last 6 years, NCCU's fan culture reaches back to its' roots in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).
These fans love great food and even better football. Fan intensity here is the name of the game, and there's a TON of it for this program every season.
That's it for some of the best game day experiences in HBCU football. Stay tuned for more current news and content from Saturday Blitz covering HBCU football at the NCAA FCS and Division II level!
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