Southern Heritage Classic canceled
The Southern Heritage Classic announced the cancellation Wednesday of its annual football game between Jackson State and Tennessee State due to COVID-19.
The 31st installment of the series played each year at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis was scheduled for Sept. 12. All of the events set for that week have also been canceled, according to a news release.
Fred Jones, founder of the Southern Heritage Classic, said the health and safety of those involved with the event are most important.
“I know this is a great disappointment to many who consider SHC one of the major highlights of the year,” said Jones in a prepared statement. “I encourage everyone to keep practicing recommended safety and social distancing measures so that we can return to our usual activities as soon as possible.”
Jones added the decision was made when Shelby County’s plan to enter Phase 3 of its reopening strategy was put on hold Monday.
“It’s a tough situation,” Jones said. “There are no winners. When the health department did not go to Phase 3 and said, ‘We don’t have a timetable to leave Phase 2,’ that was really it for us.”
Tennessee State athletic director Mikki Allen said that the school was disappointed the Southern Heritage Classic was canceled, but “we respect the decision of the SHC management team and look forward to exciting games in the future against Jackson State University. Looking ahead, we will be exploring options to schedule an alternative game on that date.”
JSU had not released a statement about the cancellation by Wednesday afternoon.
The University of Memphis released a statement regarding its 2020 football schedule.
“Memphis Athletics will continue to stay in close contact with state, local and regional health officials for guidance on home football games in the fall, and all current indications are that home games will be played as planned,” the statement read. “Consistent with recent statements, we are developing plans to adhere to social distancing and attendance restrictions, as directed by health officials.”
Autozone Liberty Bowl officials said it is also working toward holding its annual game, which will pit an SEC team against a Big 12 opponent at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, as scheduled. The date and time have not yet been announced.
“We are planning on having fans in attendance at this year’s bowl game in a safe stadium environment,” the Liberty Bowl said in a prepared statement. “Our Autozone Liberty Bowl Festival Association membership and ticket renewal campaign for 2020 is currently underway. The response has been very favorable, with our fans and supporters looking forward to another exciting Autozone Liberty Bowl.”
According to event officials, the Southern Heritage Classic draws an average of more than 75,000 people between the game, tailgating on Tiger Lane, the parade in Orange Mound and the Classic Gala. The game has had announced crowds of more than 42,000 for every game since 2001. The announced attendance for last year’s game was 48,347.
Jones, who has worked as a music promoter in Memphis for decades, labeled the cancellation of this year’s event a “disaster” from a financial perspective.
“You’ve basically shut the business down,” he said. “There’s nothing there. Nothing. Zero.”
Those who have purchased tickets for the football game can receive refunds at the point of purchase.
The Southern Heritage Classic has endured hardships, Jones said, mentioning Hurricane Katrina, which hit Jackson, Mississippi, in 2005 and caused widespread power outages for days leading up to the game, and 9/11.
“We’ve managed to survive before and we’ll manage to survive this one,” he said. “(But) I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. I’ve got to deal with what’s happening right now. We canceled the Southern Heritage Classic (today). That’s hard to say. So I can’t get to what the future will look like because we don’t know. If there’s not a cure or a vaccine (for coronavirus) by next year, we’ll be having parts of the same conversation. So you can’t get that far ahead.”