Spectators from around the nation are set to converge on D.C. this weekend as historical black universities Howard and Hampton battle take the gridiron to find out which is the “real HU.”
The fifth annual AT&T Nation’s Football Classic, a celebration of the passion and tradition associated with black college football, will be held Saturday at RFK Memorial Stadium in Southeast, where fans will see the schools’ legendary drumlines at noon before the football game at 3:30 p.m.
Pete Kirschner, communications and marketing director of D.C. Events, which hosts the football classics every year, gave insight into the energy that drives these games.
“The AT&T Nation’s of Football Classics, is more than just a promoting between Howard and Hampton University,” Kirschner said.
“It really celebrates the whole tradition of historically black college universities. The energy here is unmatched with thousands of attendees and gives you everything you would expect from an HBCU homecoming weekend, only greater.”
There will also be 11 a.m. pregame tailgate block party sponsored by Pepsi, where participants will be able to draw free prizes from various places such as Cracker Barrel, Pepsi and AT&T.
“This year we are bringing in a new event called the Diversity in Sports Program, which provides people that want to break into the sports industry an opportunity to come to the Mayflower hotel to hear from a panel of sports industry professionals on Friday morning, Sep. 16, to learn more about their career paths,” Kirschner said.
The annual event, which began in 2011, also focuses on the students, faculty and alumni of all other historically black colleges and universities, highlighting the unity of black culture and honoring the heritage and excellence of HBCU institutions while delivering excitement and community events, organizers said.
For ticket information, visit nationsfootballclassic.com.