One of the oldest HBCU football rivalries leaves Birmingham

It’s official. After three years in the Birmingham, the Morehouse-Tuskegee football rivalry is returning to Columbus, Georgia.

Morehouse-Tuskegee returning to Columbus

The 85th version of the HBCU Classic is now slated to play this year’s 2024 matchup on October 5th at Columbus’s A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium. 

The oldest rivalry in HBCU and NCAA Division II history, back in 1902,  the Classic began as entertainment for African American civilians and US Army soldiers in the Columbus-Fort Benning, GA and Phenix City, AL areas. 

The Birmingham City Council approved bringing the game to Legion Field in May 2021.

Birmingham has bandwidth to recruit more Classics

“I am disappointed that we are losing this historical HBCU classic football game but I am encouraged that Birmingham has become a premier destination and venue for big sporting events like this. Over the past five years we have shown that we have the bandwidth, operational capacity, venue, fan support and enthusiasm to continue to recruit more tourism and events. I want to thank Mayor Woodfin for bringing his alma mater and this classic to Birmingham. We were able to expose thousands of more people to the Magic City.”

Birmingham City Councilor Crystal Smitherman

This 2023 edition of the game ended with Tuskegee winning 40-28 over a Morehouse squad that won only one game during the season.

Magic City Classic Locked in till 2026

The loss of the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic means there presently is only one HBCU Classic scheduled at Legion Field in 2024 — the Magic City Classic between Alabama State University and Alabama A&M. This past fall both schools agreed to play at Legion Field until 2026.

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