Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic

Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic
Stadium	Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
Location	Canton, Ohio
Operated	2019–present
2021 matchup
Grambling State 16, Tennessee State 10
2022 matchup
Central State 41, Winston-Salem State 21

The Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic is a college football kickoff game that has been played annually since 2019 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The game features a matchup of two historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It is played on the Sunday before Labor Day. The Classic originated in 2019, with a matchup between the Alabama A&M Bulldogs and the Morehouse Maroon Tigers, and coincided with the Black College Football Hall of Fame's move to Canton from its previous location in Atlanta.

The 2020 edition of the Classic, scheduled between Howard and Central State,^[1][2] was announced to have been cancelled on July 3, 2020, over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

Since its inception the game has been carried nationally by NFL Network

Game results

Season	Date	Winners		Runners-up		Television	Attendance	Ref.
2019	September 1	Alabama A&M Bulldogs	35	Morehouse Maroon Tigers	30	NFL Network	9,776	[4][5]
2020	September 6	Game cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Originally Howard v Central State.[3]
2021	September 5	Grambling State Tigers	16	Tennessee State Tigers	10	NFL Network	14,682	[6]
2022	September 4	Central State Marauders	41	Winston-Salem State Rams	21		13,989	[7]
2023	September 3	Virginia Union Panthers	45	Morehouse Maroon Tigers	13		9,333

References

1. "Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic - National Events - Events | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". www.profootballhof.com. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
2. Kelley, Kevin (September 16, 2019). "Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic matchups set for 2020, 2021". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
3. Kelley, Kevin (July 3, 2020). "2020 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic canceled". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
4. Bona, Marc (September 2, 2019). "Alabama A&M edges Morehouse College, 35-30, in 1st Classic". cleveland. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
5. Bona, Marc (August 31, 2019). "Why is the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic important?". cleveland. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
6. Organ, Mike (September 5, 2021). "Eddie George makes coaching debut in Tennessee State football loss to Grambling". Tennessean. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
7. Walsh, Erin (September 4, 2022). "Central State Routs Winston-Salem State in 2022 Black CFB Hall of Fame Classic". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 7, 2022.