NEW ORLEANS – The Bayou Classic has announced its Roadshow schedule of events beginning September 1 and continuing until November 10, bringing a taste of The Bayou Classic experience to Grambling and Southern fans across the south.

The Bayou Classic Roadshow will partner with the US Marine Corps for the first time this year. The sponsorship of The Bayou Classic Roadshow is an extension of the US Marine Corps’ ten-year partnership with The Bayou Classic.

“The partnership between the US Marine Corps and The Bayou Classic Roadshow is a recent development that will bring much benefit to our organization,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Peterson, Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Recruiting Command. “The expansion of our partnership with The Bayou Classic has a direct connection to the success of the partnership over the past ten years. The Roadshow is a tremendous opportunity for us to meet and visit with members of our community throughout the region.”

The Bayou Classic Roadshow presented by the US Marine Corps will travel to five states this year, including Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia, to give fans across the south an opportunity to win prizes, meet former Bayou Classic participants and share their favorite Bayou Classic experiences.

The Roadshow will travel to a total of 10 regular season football games, including Grambling and Southern homecoming games, the Port City, Southern Heritage and Atlanta Football classics. The schedule of stops on the Bayou Classic Roadshow is:

About The Bayou Classic

The Bayou Classic features one of America's greatest college sports rivalries, bringing the fans and alumni of Southern University and Grambling State University to New Orleans for a celebration of football, family and the traditions and pageantry surrounding Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Last year, the two schools split $1.32 million in proceeds from the series of Bayou Classic events. These proceeds provide support to the campuses’ athletic programs and fund scholarships through the SU System Foundation and the GSU Foundation.

The Bayou Classic is supported by the following organizations for the 39^th annual series of events – State Farm®, US Marine Corps, MillerCoors®, The Home Depot®, The Coca-Cola Company, Louisiana>AIDS (Louisiana Greater Than AIDS), Cox Louisiana, Entergy Louisiana, the French Market Corporation and Visit Baton Rouge.

NOTE:While State Farm® remains a committed sponsor of The Bayou Classic, they are no longer the title sponsor of the week-long series of events. Therefore, the official name of the program is now The Bayou Classic® as noted in the new information and logo presented for 2012.