Tampa Bay Football History Network - The Florida Classic: 1978-1996

The Florida Classic: 1978-1996

Some may not realize it, but Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman College have the state of Florida's oldest football rivalry. The two first met in 1925 and now play annually in the Florida Classic. The Florida Classic was first played at Tampa Stadium, from 1978 through 1996, and is one of the biggest games between historically black colleges. It just about equals the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern played in New Orleans. With the battle of the bands half-time show, which has been known to exceed forty minutes, it is truly an event.

There has always been a bit of a big brother-little brother feeling to the rivalry. The Rattlers of Florida A&M are based in Tallahassee and the school has an enrollment of 13,300 students. The Bethune-Cookman College Wildcats are from Daytona Beach and have an enrollment of 2,500.

In 1925, FAMU won the first game between the schools 25-0, B-CC won the next year 12-0 and the following meeting was a tie. FAMU won the next five, the Wildcats broke the streak, then the Rattlers won the next nineteen games. Many times the games were not even close. In 1960, FAMU won 97-0 and the next year they pasted B-CC again 76-0. Things started to change in the 1970s and B-CC won three out of four at one point.

Even though the series is a bit lopsided, FAMU leads 45-15-1, the game continually grew in popularity. The game had grown too large for the school's on-campus stadiums and "home" games were played at the Florida Citrus Bowl, Daytona International Speedway and Doak Campbell Stadium. In 1978, the schools decided to move the game to a neutral site and Tampa Stadium was selected. Since then the Wildcats have fared much better, but the Rattlers still hold a 18-10 advantage from 1978 to 2007.

When Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman first played in Tampa it was not officially billed as the Florida Classic, but that title came soon after. The Wildcats lead 17-0 at the half of that first game, before the defense and quarterback Albert Chester lead the Rattlers to a 27-17 victory. FAMU would go on to win the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA championship. B-CC won the next two games and FAMU fans wore "B-CC Will Never See Three" t-shirts to Tampa Stadium in 1981. The Rattlers won the game 29-0 and FAMU won the 1982 game 29-14.

After five years in Tampa, the schools could not agree upon a site for the game. FAMU wanted to move the Classic to Orlando, while B-CC wanted it to remain in Tampa. There was a proposal for the school acting as the home team to select the site, perhaps, alternating between Tampa and Orlando. The squabbling continued and the teams did not play in 1983 and 84. Eventually, pressure from alumni, fans and state officials forced the schools to negotiate a resumption of the series. The game returned to Tampa Stadium in 1985 with five lead changes and a 31-27 B-CC victory. FAMU won 16-6 in 1986.

Howard Huckaby returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and quarterback Andre Williams rushed for 105 yards and two scores, as FAMU won 21- 10 in 1987. 50,259 came out for the 1988 game, which was the largest Florida Classic crowd at Tampa Stadium. Kevin Finnie ran for two scores in a 25-0 B-CC victory. In 1989, running back Amir Rasul rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Rattlers to a 30-7 win. Tempers flared that cool, rainy night with personal foul penalties and several players ejected. Amir Rasul ran for 125 yards and scored three times in the Rattlers 42-20 victory in 1990. That game saw a fourth quarter bench-clearing brawl, which delayed play for fifteen minutes, as the players battled it out at mid-field.

FAMU quarterback Tony Ezell threw four touchdown passes, and caught another on the option play, as the Rattlers rolled 46-28 in 1991. Running back Kelvin Daniels scored three touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 35-21 victory in 1992. B-CC lead 16-0 at the half, then FAMU rallied for a 27-22 victory on a rainy night in 1993. The next year, the Wildcats scored the winning touchdown with 46 seconds remaining in a 27-24 triumph. In 1995, FAMU running back Kwame Vidal rushed for 164 yards and scored two touchdowns. B-CC accused the Rattlers of running up the score in that 43-0 defeat. The following year, FAMU scored on its first three possessions and won easily 41-7.

Even before the 1996 game took place, the Florida Classic Association was looking for a better stadium deal. Tampa wanted to keep the game and Jacksonville wanted to lure the game away. Money seemed to be the prime motivation for moving the game. An economic impact study by the University of South Florida estimated that the 1994 Florida Classic generated $11.8 million for the Tampa Bay area. Reportedly, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman were looking for a $400,000 guarantee to play the game. For B-CC, a small school with a large athletics department deficit, the revenues were important. But, there may have been more than money that forced the move from Tampa.

There were charges of racism and that the crowd at the Outback Bowl was better treated than those attending the Florida Classic. Some were upset over what they perceived as unfair reservation and payment requirements at some Tampa hotels. There were problems with the Tampa Bay Center, a mall across the street from the stadium, which closed early on game day. There were other charges of price-gouging and discrimination. Fans felt they were being taken for granted and the attendance numbers dwindled.

Tampa did up the offer to the schools to keep the game in town. Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer offered a three-year donation of $100,000, the largest single contribution in Classic history, to strengthen the bid. After the 1996 game, it was expected that the Florida Classic Association would decide between Tampa and Jacksonville. In mid-December, since neither Tampa or Jacksonville provided the $400,000 guarantee, the schools announced they would take over the financial responsibility for the game and look elsewhere. A week later, and after FAMU had won eleven of the seventeen games played in Tampa, Orlando was chosen as the new site.

The move to the Florida Citrus Bowl has been a boom to the Florida Classic. The game has gotten corporate sponsorship and is now officially known as "The Walt Disney World Florida Classic." There is also another major sponsorship with State Farm Insurance for the "Battle of the Bands" half-time show. Crowds have exceeded 70,000 and each school gets a $1 million payday from the game.

The future of the Florida Classic, and a rivalry that dates back over eighty years, did become a bit clouded when Florida A&M announced plans to begin play at the Division I-A level in 2004. There was concern that the additional scholarships available at the I-A level would effect the competitiveness of the series and about the feasibility of FAMU to continue playing a Division I-AA opponent at a neutral each year. When FAMU backed off on the I-A idea for the near future, it guaranteed the continuation of the Florida Classic. Considering how successful the game has become, and the amount of money generated, it may have be difficult for FAMU to walk away.