For most people across the country, the Thanksgiving holiday is simply a time to bond with family and close friends while enjoying the most delectable food and partaking in festive libations. But in New Orleans, it is also a time that celebrates blackness, thanks to the spirited rivalry between two historically black institutions of higher learning and athletics in Louisiana.
Although the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars first met on the football field in 1932, the historic matchup officially became known as the Bayou Classic in 1974, marking the beginning of what is now one of the largest, most anticipated events in all of college sports. For 52 years, the Bayou Classic has been more than a football game. It is a cultural tradition that brings together hundreds of thousands of HBCU alumni, fans, and families for a weekend of never-ending love, laughter, and community (with a side of rivalrous banter between the two schools, of course).
“When I think about Bayou Classic, whether you’re there for the band, the Greeks, the football team, or whether it’s because you love cheerleaders or you love the Dancing Dolls – it’s the fact that you have two HBCUs that are powerhouses,” says Nala Hill, a two-time Southern grad who serves as the assistant director of student leadership and engagement at her alma mater. “It’s just the support and love for all things black and all things excellence.”
As a Shreveport native, Hill considers the “Gramblinites” her cousins, describing the Classic as one big family reunion. “I just love the fact that no matter what, I’m going to see my family. It’s a rivalry, but we’re still family. That’s what I feel like keeps everybody coming back because you get to see people you went to school with or that you know from back home, and you get to come together and experience New Orleans in such a family-oriented space.”
Bayou Classic is not only a time where Grambling and Southern alums get together, as almost every HBCU shows up to represent in some way. “I see people from FAMU, from Tennessee State…I even have friends coming from Norfolk State,” Hill says. “Although it’s between two HBCUs in Louisiana, it draws so many people from all over. And I think that’s one of the most amazing things about Bayou Classic…because yes, it’s along the bayou, but it’s an event where you can see so many HBCUs and so much black excellence underneath one roof.”
“Bayou Classic is like a call to action every year that reunites us and recommits generations of families to the legacy of education, empowerment, growth, opportunity, equality, and justice,” adds Mayor LaToya Cantrell, an alumna of Xavier University of Louisiana. “Although it’s a match-up between two schools, it really is a reflection of all HBCUs and the power of HBCUs that we continue to stand on. And we need to continue to do so because it’s not only about today – it’s about the future.”
Mayor Cantrell recalls attending Bayou Classic with friends as an HBCU student, which she considers her favorite memory of the annual sporting event. “I was in college hosting friends from all over that attended different HBCUs. It was that time when you had friends come and stay with you, and we were sleeping on the floor, sleeping on the sofa, just staying up late at night and hanging out,” she says. “It’s like something being poured back into your spirit that reminds you about who you are – and whose you are – while you still have the opportunity to educate and further grow yourself.”
“My Bayou Classic experience in undergrad was a lot of Bourbon Street. I don’t think my friends and I really slept,” Hill says, reflecting on what it’s like now not only as a Southern alum but also as an employee of the university. “Now, it’s a workcation and a lot of networking, and still no sleep. That’s one thing I can say that is very much still the same…with Bayou Classic weekend, you don’t sleep. You’re out, you’re trying to make memories with all your friends and family and people that you probably won’t see until next year. You’re trying to make the most of what you have in the span of a weekend.”
“I attended my first Bayou Classic in 1987,” recalls Dr. Trayvean Scott, a Southern alumnus who now serves as vice president for intercollegiate athletics at Grambling State University. “I sat up in the 600 level, the nosebleeds. I also remember Eddie Robinson’s last game in the Superdome as Grambling’s head football coach [in 1997]. I remember all those games in the late 90s and early 2000s when Grambling was dominant and came in and lost to Southern. It’s one of those rivalries where it gets heated for three or four hours and then we all go back to being friends and visiting with one another and having a good time.”
Scott worked in the athletic department at his alma mater for 10 years before trading in his Columbia blue and gold for black and gold in 2021. “It was an interesting, yet seamless transition,” he says. “There’s just so much correlation between the schools. Husbands, wives, cousins, brothers, and sisters all go to one or the other, or they get to experience one of the other institutions from a professional or graduate-level standpoint. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones, the longest tenured president at Grambling, is a Southern grad. Rick Gallot, the president of the University of Louisiana system [and former president of Grambling], is a Southern University Law Center grad. Obviously, I’ve got family members and best friends that have attended Grambling, but I also have a personal tie with the Southern University system. Grambling has welcomed me and my family with open arms though, so it’s been a joy. I’m now going into year five, which makes me the longest-tenured athletic director at Grambling in 20 years, and we’ve done some pretty remarkable things, but we’re just getting started.”
While Scott has had the advantage of experiencing a plethora of matchups between the Tigers and the Jaguars, he still looks forward to what’s to come. “Bayou Classic has this unique ability to reinvent itself to create and generate excitement every year. This year, you’re talking about a team that [had] only won one game, yet the excitement of Southern fans has not changed. We continue to reestablish excellence year after year after year…that’s why it’s the premier HBCU classic that will continue to generate interest beyond the lines of football.”
In terms of the game itself, the Southern University Jaguars – now with a 2025 record of 2-10 – shocked the entire stadium with a 28-27 win over the Grambling Tigers, whose 2025 record is now 7-5. As a result, Southern remains in the lead with the most Bayou Classic wins under their belt (28-24).
Outside of the Saturday football showdown, Bayou Classic fans also get to experience other facets of the ultimate HBCU experience. The day before the big game is the annual Greek Show and Battle of the Bands, where Black Greek-lettered organizations and marching bands from both institutions get to showcase their talents for all to see in the Caesars Superdome. Attendees got to experience the winning step routines of the Alpha Tau chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (Southern University) and the Gamma Psi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (Grambling State University) before the ultimate showdown between bands. Fans witnessed the “World Famed” Grambling State Marching Band take center stage to put their unique spins on classics like “Jumpin’ Jumpin’” by Destiny’s Child and “Crew Love” by Drake, as well as more recent jams, such as “Spend It” by Summer Walker. Similarly, Southern University’s “Human Jukebox” gave dazzling renditions of “Mad” by Ne-Yo, “Burning Blue” by Mariah the Scientist, and “Folded” by Kehlani.
If that wasn’t enough, both bands definitely had fans on their feet the next day during their highly anticipated halftime shows, featuring live performances by global hip-hop artists Glorilla and Juvenile, who accompanied Grambling and Southern, respectively.
“Glorilla did her thing, but we love us some Juvie now,” says Grambling alumnae Aapri Clemons and Cassandra Land. Clemons traveled from Indianapolis, while Land traveled from Ruston, La. – just minutes away from Grambling’s campus, where she now works in the School of Nursing – the same place in which she earned her degree 20 years ago.
“I really like it because in a way, I feel like this is my way of giving back to my alma mater,” Land says. “It’s just really good to come back to a place where you were a student. To see how it is on the other side of things is surreal and a full circle moment.”
This is neither Clemons’ or Land’s first or second Bayou Classic experience. “The blackness keeps me coming back, as well as the team camaraderie…it’s not strictly a rivalry,” says Clemons. “Just seeing everybody thriving – that’s the biggest thing. And then if you see new people, you speak. But you know, it’s just being around your own people where you can relate and be around people doing well and being well.”
Both Clemons and Land transferred to Grambling almost halfway through their undergraduate careers. “I got both the PWI and HBCU experience,” Land says. “I can definitely say that I enjoyed the HBCU experience more. It was more familiar and inclusive, and I knew what I was getting into more. A PWI was my usual atmosphere…Grambling was more of a culture shock just because there were so many of us in one space, but it still felt like home.”
“It’s nothing like going from a melting pot of people to seeing your own people thriving and doing well,” says Clemons. “I wouldn’t change a thing. We’re family and we take care of one another. That’s what [going to an HBCU] is all about.”
“I just knew an HBCU was for me when I went to orientation and felt like these people knew me my entire life,” says Hill. “Faculty and staff would say, ‘If you need anything, come to my office…this is where you can find me.’ Being able to know I can count on people and not be scared is the real reason why I think I chose an HBCU…because those people were for me and wanted to see me be great, and it was so personal. And I feel like that’s what every [Black] student needs. It’s motivation to see all these people who came before you, and it just reminds you, “I can do that too.’ There’s just nothing like an HBCU.”