With football and fun, HBCUs take a classic approach to recruitment and fund raising efforts
SAN DIEGO
“Hey Frat,” was only one of the few endearing phrases
heard on this special day. Elderly gentlemen sported their fraternity
baseball caps. Wide-eyed young people wore glowing smiles. And
sophisticated, elegant women donned their sorority sweat-shirts. All
contributed to the big wave of excitement that was in the air here on
Nov. 14, at the Second Annual Gold Coast Classic.
Although this is a familiar historically Black college scene played
out in arenas throughout the South, it is a rare sight on the West
Coast. The crowd of 20,000 witnessed the Grambling State Tigers defeat
the Winston-Salem State Rams, 35-28, at Qualcomm Stadium, where there
was as much electricity among the fans in the seats as there was with
the players and coaches on the field.
“It feels good to play in an NFL stadium,” said Grambling State
wide receiver Scotty Anderson. “The people here in San Diego have been
real good to us.”
Although the football game was the main focal point, the impact of
the three days of Gold Coast Classic events will continue to ripple
throughout this community for months to come.
“I think it is a monumental event for us culturally starved African
Americans in San Diego,” said local resident Leilah Townsend.
“The Gold Coast Classic is part of the explosion of Classic games
played by Black colleges in the past five years,” said Lonza Hardy Jr.,
associate commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. “These
classics are the Black college version of the Sugar Bowl or the Rose
Bowl.”
