Jacksonville, Fl -- Florida A&M and South Carolina State have agreed to merge the Orange Blossom and Palmetto Classics into one game in Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium. FAMU AD Ken Riley and SCSU AD Tim Autry came up with the Orange Blossom/Palmetto Classic, which will debut September 26 at 4:00 p.m.
The merger combines one of the oldest black college classics with one of the youngest. The Orange Blossom Classic has been held in five different cities, since it began in Jacksonville in 1933. The Palmetto Classic, traditionally held in Columbia, SC, began in 1991.
"We began to talk about this my first year as athletic director in 1996," Autry told the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union during a press conference Monday. "We talked about how great it would be if we brought it to Jacksonville because of the proximity of both schools and with the number of alumni that we have in the southern part of Georgia, we could have a great classic here."
"We have to be very visionary in trying to find ways to increase our finances and to meet our budgets and to increase our scholarship funds," Autry stated. "We feel that this game will help us toward that endeavor."
Both schools have signed a two-year deal and have agreed to split the profits 50/50. South Carolina State will be the home time this year.
Since both institutions have reputations for large numbers of travelling fans, the city of Jacksonville hopes that the game will eventually draw over 60,000 of them to the 72,000 seat stadium.
"The economic impact to business and the city is tremendous," said Mike Sullivan, executive director of the Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment Board. "The first year we're kind of guessing. We figure out of the 20,000-30,000 that'll be coming from out of town, we're looking at close to $5 to $6 million over the weekend."
"The city wanted this matchup," said Riley. "If this game won't do it, I don't think any game will, as far as being successful for the city of Jacksonville. "We're excited about it."The Orange Blossom/Palmetto Classic will be one of five college football games played at Alltel Stadium this season. Bethune-Cookman will host Savannah State September 4 in the Gateway Classic. Duke will face Florida State October 2. Florida and Georgia will meet October 30 and the Toyota Gator Bowl is set for January 1.
