By Hal Lamar
BCSO Correspondent
The 10th playing the Atlanta Football Classic September 18th sponsored by the Atlanta chapter of 100 Black Men of America will be dedicated to Hammerin' Hank Aaron.
Notwithstanding the 10th anniversary of the annual September grid match by the "brothers" of Atlanta, this is also the 25th anniversary of Aaron's 715th home run that put the Mobile, Alabama native in the record books and established a record that may last at least as long as Babe Ruth's 714.
"No African-American organization has done anything to commemorate the moment this year, " said longtime 100 Black Men chapter member John Grant who is this year's Atlanta Football Classic chair.
"We selected Mr. Aaron not just because of his accomplishments on the baseball diamond but the strength of character, the professionalism and all of those things that he demonstrated while accomplishing his great feat." Grant later told this reporter that Aaron had to do a serious juggling of his September schedule to accommodate the group for which he is also a member. "But he was willing to do that because he is so excited about what we are doing for him."
Grant said Aaron's schedule was so tight, he will have to leave almost immediately after ceremonies just before the 3:30pn kickoff.
For the second year in a row and the 4th time since the game started at Grant Field in 1989, the Big Blue Tigers of Tennessee State University will battle the Rattlers of Florida A&M University.
The two teams will enter this season and the game with a lot to brag about from the previous season. The Rattlers posted an 11-2 record, were named the mythical national black college champs and earned a trip to the NCAA Division 1AA playoffs.
They also made a bit of history by becoming the first historically black college at the division IAA level to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs, which in itself carried a bit of irony. " The last time that happened in 1978, this school won the whole shooting match, " said FAMU Head Coach Billy Joe. The team beat Troy State 27-17 before succumbing in the quarter finals to the Leathernecks of Western Illinois 24-21.
The Big Blue Tigers under L.C. Cole are the defending champs of the Ohio Valley Conference and are picked to repeat in 1999. Last year, they posted a 9-3 mark which earned them the title and a trip to the NCAA playoffs. They were knocked out in the first round by Appalachian State.
FAMU and TSU returned to the classic, last year, after a 6 year absence. The two teams inaugurated the series in 1989 and 1990, drawing over 50,000 fans to Grant Field. In 1991, after negotiations with the schools broke down, the 100 Black Men of Atlanta then decided to invite South Carolina State and Southern to the game. They played for several seasons until Southern bowed out, replaced by TSU.
TSU and FAMU have met since 1944. The Tigers won the first meeting 19-7. The Tigers lead the series overall 15-23-0 but haven't been able to defeat the Rattlers since 1990 when they beat them 20-16 at the second Atlanta Classic game.
At last year's Classic, the Tigers lost to the Rattlers 31-23.
