HBCU
All-Star Football Classic set for New Orleans in January
August 28, 2004
The inaugural HBCU All-Star Football Classic will be played at Tad Gormley Stadium
in New Orleans’ City Park, Monday, January 17, 2005. Kickoff is scheduled
for 7:30p.m.
A press conference has been set for Friday, September 10 at the Wyndham Canal
Hotel – Riverbend Terrace Room to introduce the principals involved in
the event.
HBCU All Star Classic Executive Director, Richard Harvey and the New Orleans
Multicultural Tourism Network (NOMTN) will partner in promoting the game, aimed
at raising the profile of the top professional prospects from HBCUs.
Modeled after the East/West Shrine Football Game, the HBCU All-Star Classic
will employ an East versus West format, with a selection committee choosing
96 NFL draft-eligible seniors from the 38 HBCUs of the CIAA, MEAC, SIAC and
SWAC, in addition to five HBCU independents: Cheney University of Pennsylvania,
Savannah State University, Stillman College, Tennessee State University and
West Virginia State College.
The East team will consist of players from the MEAC and CIAA and independents
West Virginia State College, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and Savannah
State University. The West team will consist of players from the SWAC and SIAC
and independents Tennessee State University and Stillman College.
The game, a vision of retired 12 year NFL veteran Harvey, was designed to provide
a venue by which athletes from HBCUs may showcase their NFL-worthiness to
the league’s coaches and scouts.
"The young men that will participate in this game have needed for this
to happen," said Harvey, President and co-founder of the HBCU All-Star
Classic. “Black College players have not been afforded the same opportunities
and exposure in-line with athletes coming from Division I-A institutions.”
More than just a game, the HBCU All-Star Classic and its many auxiliary components
have coalesced to create a ‘Cultural Happening’ in-and-around the
city of New Orleans.
New Orleans is considered the perfect place to host an HBCU All-Star Classic
both because of the locale and the nationwide popularity of the city.
“New Orleans is a city of great ethnicity and diversity,” said
Toni Rice, NOMTN President. “This is a remarkable opportunity to showcase
to the world all the wonders that are inherent to our great city.”
A portion of the proceeds from the HBCU All Star Classic game and ancillary
events will go to benefit the HBCU’s non-profit foundation,
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