UAPB, Alabama A&M move game
The game slated to be the St. Louis HBCU River City Classic will be played in another river city — Pine Bluff.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Alabama A&M University on Wednesday evening announced the game has been moved from The Dome at America’s Center, which was home to the NFL’s St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams, to UAPB’s Simmons Bank Field at Golden Lion Stadium. Kickoff is still set for 3 p.m. Sunday.
UAPB Athletic Director Chris Robinson said in a news release both schools were left uncertain about the venue, transportation and housing accommodations and whether other expenses as agreed upon would be covered. The game was scheduled to be the first for UAPB in St. Louis since 2011, when it defeated Clark Atlanta University.
“UAPB determined it was not in the best interest of the university to incur additional expenses to travel to and lodge in St. Louis,” Robinson also said.
All tickets purchased to the Classic, including those through Ticketmaster, will be honored at Golden Lion Stadium entrance gates.
Those who purchased tickets through the UAPB ticket office may request a refund, but those who purchased through Ticketmaster and want a refund must contact that ticket company.
Tickets can still be purchased online at uapblionsroar.com.
“We are thankful to our university administration and athletics department staff for quickly pivoting to ensure we are able to host Alabama A&M so that fans can still see this matchup between the football teams and experience our band and the excitement of our cheer squads,” Robinson continued. “We were excited about taking our team, band, cheer squads and fans to St. Louis and hope that we’re able to do so in the near future.”
An organizer for the River City Classic could not be reached for comment.
In a normal scheduling practice, this year’s meeting would have otherwise been set for kickoff in Pine Bluff, since Alabama A&M hosted UAPB last year in Huntsville.
It is not unusual, however, that some Southwestern Athletic Conference games would be played in neutral venues, like Birmingham’s Magic City Classic between Alabama A&M and Alabama State University and New Orleans’ Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern universities.
St. Louis, which has a base of UAPB alumni, was a regular destination for the Golden Lions from 1994 to 2011.
“Although we are disappointed at not being able to participate in the St. Louis HBCU River City Classic, we are excited to be back on the campus at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,” Alabama A&M Athletic Director Paul Bryant said in a release.
The scrapping of the River City Classic adds another interesting chapter into the rivalry between the Golden Lions and Bulldogs. Alabama A&M, which owns a 21-7 all-time record, has won the last two games against UAPB, 40-33 for the spring 2021 SWAC championship and 52-24 in the fall 2021 season finale. The teams also met in the 2006 SWAC final, which the Bulldogs won 22-13.
UAPB last beat Alabama A&M 52-34 in 2019.