The Orange Blossom Classic is an American annual college football game first held from 1933 to 1978 and again since 2021. Since 2021, the game has been played on Labor Day weekend.

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,Super Bowl Catches Up to Orange Blossom Classic, The New York Times, February 3, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2009. 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. The game could be seen as a mythical "black national championship" game.Tremene Triplett, Fans, coaches, athletes reminisce about the historic Orange Blossom Classic, South Florida Times, March 14, 2008, retrieved February 7, 2009. 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. 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.

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. The game has continued as an annual early-season contest between those two programs. The 2022 matchup had the second 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. In 2024 the game had a weather delay for an hour and twenty minute delay because of lightning in the area.

Game results 1933–1978

Year SiteWinnerLoser Ref. Attendance1933 Jacksonville, FloridaFlorida A&M9 6 6,000 1934 Jacksonville, FloridaFlorida A&M 13 Virginia State12 1935 Jacksonville, FloridaKentucky State 19 Florida A&M 9 5,000 1936 Jacksonville, Florida6 Florida A&M 0 5,000 1937 Orlando, FloridaFlorida A&M 25 20 3,000 1938 Orlando, FloridaFlorida A&M 9 7 1939 Orlando, FloridaFlorida A&M 42 Wiley 0 1940 Orlando, Florida 0–0 Florida A&M 7,000 1941 Orlando, FloridaFlorida A&M 15Tuskegee 7 8,200 1942 Jacksonville, FloridaFlorida A&M 12Texas College 6 3,000 1943 Jacksonville, Florida 39Florida A&M 0 2,500 1944 Tampa, Florida 15Florida A&M 7 6,000 1945 Tampa, FloridaWiley 32 Florida A&M 6 8,000 1946 Tampa, Florida#20 Lincoln (PA) 20#8 Florida A&M 0 9,000 1947 Miami, Florida#3 Florida A&M 7 #4 Hampton 0 19,000 1948 Miami, Florida#10 10 #5 Florida A&M 6 15,986 1949 Miami, Florida#6 20 #5 Florida A&M 14 14,274 1950 Miami, Florida#12 13#1 Florida A&M 6 19,317 1951 Miami, Florida#2 Florida A&M 67 #7 6 23,446 1952 Miami, Florida#1 Florida A&M 29 #2 7 35,064 1953 Miami, Florida#1 Prairie View A&M 33 #2 Florida A&M 27 41,313 1954 Miami, Florida#2 Florida A&M 67 #6 19 41,179 1955 Miami, Florida#1 Grambling 28 #3 Florida A&M 21 40,319 1956 Miami, Florida#1 Tennessee A&I 41 #2 Florida A&M 39 41,808 1957 Miami, Florida#1 Florida A&M 27#4 21 37,000 1958 Miami, Florida#1 Prairie View A&M 26 #3 Florida A&M 8 39,426 1959 Miami, Florida#1 Florida A&M 28#4 Prairie View A&M 7 43,645 1960 Miami, Florida#2 Florida A&M 40 26 42,080 1961 Miami, Florida#1 Florida A&M 14 #2 Jackson State 8 47,791 1962 Miami, Florida#2 Jackson State 22 #1 Florida A&M 6 43,461 1963 Miami, Florida#4 Florida A&M 30 #3 7 31,769 1964 Miami, Florida#2 Florida A&M 42#3 Grambling 15 28,127 1965 Miami, Florida#2 36#3 Florida A&M 7 35,638 1966 Miami, FloridaFlorida A&M 43 26 28,815 1967 Miami, Florida#2 Grambling 28#4 Florida A&M 25 37,681 1968 Miami, Florida#3 Alcorn A&M 36#7 Florida A&M 9 37,390 1969 Miami, Florida#3 Florida A&M 23#5 Grambling 19 36,680 1970 Miami, FloridaJacksonville State 21 Florida A&M 7 31,184 1971 Miami, FloridaFlorida A&M 27 9 26,161 1972 Miami, FloridaFlorida A&M 41 Maryland Eastern Shore 21 23,840 1973 Miami, FloridaFlorida A&M 23#11 South Carolina State 12 18,996 1974 Miami, Florida#20 Florida A&M 17#6 Howard 13 20,167 1975 Miami, Florida#2 Florida A&M 40 #8 13 27,875 1976 Miami, Florida#20 Florida A&M 26#16 21 18,042 1977 Miami, Florida#1 Florida A&M 37#8 Delaware State 15 29,493 1978 Miami, Florida#1 Florida A&M 31#2 Grambling State 7 35,499 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).

Rankings from The Pittsburgh Courier (1946–1958, 1961–1969), Associated Negro Press (1959–1960), and Jet (1973–1978)

2021–present Year SiteWinnerLoser Ref. Attendance 2021 Miami Gardens, FloridaJackson State7Florida A&M 6 31,000 2022#15 Jackson State59 Florida A&M 3 39,907 2023Florida A&M‡28 Jackson State 10 24,967 2024North Carolina Central31 Alabama State 24 10,256 2025Howard10 Florida A&M 9 https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=401767350| "Starks, in first college start, leads Howard past Florida A&M 10-9 with two-minute drill heroics" 22,455 2026#21 South Carolina State 31 Florida A&M 13 23,188

Appearances by team No.SchoolRecord50 Florida A&M 27–22–16 Grambling State 3–35 Jackson State 3–24 Kentucky State 1–34 Prairie View A&M 3–13 Central State 1–1–13 Hampton 1–23 Maryland Eastern Shore 0–33 Virginia State 1–22 Howard 1–22 Morgan State 1-12 Wiley 1–11 Alabama A&M 0–11 Alcorn State 1–01 Delaware State 0–11 Jacksonville State 1–01 Langston 0–11 North Carolina A&T 1–01 North Carolina Central 0–12 South Carolina State 1–11 Tennessee State 1–01 Texas College 0–11 Tuskegee 0–11 Virginia Union 1–01 Alabama State 0–1 Source:Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book, National Collegiate Athletic Association, p. 367–368.

See also List of black college football classics

Notes

References

External links