At Orange Blossom Classic opening press conference, the importance of the HBCU family is emphasized
Alabama State University head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. sort of spoke the Hornets’ 2024 Orange Blossom Classic appearance into existence.
It was late September 2023 and Robinson Jr. was Tallahassee-bound to play Florida A&M University. At the time, he had been reading legendary FAMU coach Jake Gaither’s biography, which had mentioned the importance of the OBC. Then and there Robinson Jr. had a thought.
“‘Man, it would be great to play in that game at some point,’” Robinson Jr. recalled thinking as he sat at the podium during the 2024 OBC opening news conference. Almost on cue came ASU athletic director Jason Cable. “And Dr. Cable said ‘Hey man, we may be able to play in the Orange Blossom Classic.’ It all came together, so we’re just glad to be here.”
Although the matchup between the ASU Hornets and the North Carolina Central University Eagles won’t kick off until Sept. 1, the OBC held its opening festivities Tuesday at Top Golf in Miami Gardens. The event brought together all involved parties — from local elected officials to ASU and NCCU representatives — to highlight the importance of the OBC to the institutions as well as to tout the classic as the premier attraction for all graduates of historically Black college or universities.
“The Orange Blossom is all of us,” Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert said, calling the classic a family reunion. Gilbert, a FAMU graduate, admitted that he “would love to see FAMU every year, but the Orange Blossom is bigger than FAMU. It’s not about FAM. It’s not even about Alabama State. It’s not about North Carolina Central. It’s about us.”
In July 2023, the OBC made headlines after the departure of FAMU, which had anchored the classic since its inception in 1933. After attracting roughly 40,000 fans in 2022, attendance dropped in 2023 — seemingly because of the departure of Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders. And with FAMU on its way out because of scheduling conflicts, OBC officials had to replace an institution with not only strong local ties but also a huge alumni base. But as OBC executive director Kendra Bulluck-Major told the Miami Herald in late January, the selection of both teams was a result of their competitiveness — ASU finished third in the Eastern Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, while NCCU finished atop the MidEastern Athletic Conference in 2023 — and “strong following.”
“We feel really good that these teams will draw well,” Bulluck-Major said then.
Bulluck-Major reiterated that sentiment Tuesday afternoon.
“This is definitely something new that is on the gridiron, but what is not new with the Orange Blossom Classic is that we’re going to come together,” she said. “We’re going to have an amazing reunion, it’s going to be an experience like no other, and we’re going to let the HBCU community know that the city of Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade County, is 100 percent the place to be when it comes to representing HBCUs and, most importantly, showing our youth what you can produce when you come from these amazing institutions.”
Showcasing HBCU culture on a national stage — the game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium and televised on ESPN — has always been a major selling point of the OBC. HBCU classics, however, are about more than just the game. Locally, events like the battle of the bands and commissioner’s kickoff luncheon can expose South Florida students to the wonders of
HBCUs.
“For a lot of people, it will allow them to get a glimpse — just a glimpse — of what we know in this room: how important HBCUs are and their impact,” said Chris Jones Sr., NCCU’s deputy athletic director for external affairs.
Still, despite the fanfare surrounding the OBC, a game will have to be played. There will be a loser. There will be a winner. And to compete in front of a national audience has emerged as a huge selling point for NCCU coach Trei Oliver.
“A lot of these kids nowadays, when you recruit them, they talk about they want to play at the highest level,” said Oliver, who led the Eagles to a victory at the 2022 Celebration
Bowl, also known as the Black College Football Championship. “They want to play big-time football. And to me, this is a high level, and this is bigtime football.”
With Oliver and Robinson Jr. now coaching at the same school each attended, the importance of this moment was not lost on them. Both even engaged in some light trashtalking, egged on by their respective athletic directors. Although the competitive juices are sure to rise as game day inches closer, it was clear that on this day, the only one thing truly mattered was the HBCU family.
“It’s truly a family tradition,” Robinson Jr. said, mentioning that his oldest son recently graduated from ASU. His father, the legendary Eddie Robinson Sr., was coach at Grambling State University for more than 50 years.