Birmingham Times
Add another football classic to Legion Field this fall.
The Morehouse University-Tuskegee annual game which began in 1902 and is the oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) rivalry in the nation, will be coming to “The Old Gray Lady” in Birmingham under a three-year agreement.
The deal calls for the city to provide up to $500,000 per year in incentives and in-kind services to host the event.
The game has traditionally been played in Columbus, Georgia but will be played in Birmingham Oct. 9, which is three weeks before the Oct. 30 Magic City Classic that features Alabama State University and Alabama Agriculture and Mechanical University.
Mayor Randall Woodfin, a Morehouse alumnus, told the council that organizers of the Tuskegee-Morehouse game “have not felt the support they need” to stay in Columbus.
“The schools were looking for a better experience,” he said. “They were out looking for another city to be in. We could either show them what Birmingham had to offer, or they could go to another city.”
Birmingham City Council President William Parker told the Bham Now website the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic is more than a game.
“We want to build it up to where it’s a week-long celebration of empowerment, conferences, pep rallies and tailgating, a family reunion – with the finale being the game on October 9th,” said Parker. “It’s a great rivalry, and we’re glad to be hosting it here in the city of Birmingham, and specifically at Legion Field, the football capital of the South.”
Organizers expect both the pre-game festivities and game will attract up to 150,000 fans and alumni.
Even with the opening of Protective Stadium in the Fall of 2021, Parkers said the future looks bright for Legion Field with the addition of the Morehouse-Tuskegee Football Classic and the flag football venue for The World Games 2022 in July 2022.
Parker added, “This is just part of the larger strategy, working with the mayor, the city council, the park board and community stakeholders to make sure there’s programming and events at Legion Field year round. We’re working to make sure that Legion Field continues to stay viable for the next 50 years. You can truly say Legion Field’s best days are yet to come. We’re very positive, very excited.”
Adding the Classic is a way to Legion Field with UAB soon moving to Protective Stadium in the city’s downtown area, Parker said.
“The goal is really to have different football classics every weekend between Labor Day and Thanksgiving,” Parker said.
