‘It’s about us.’ At Orange Blossom Classic opening presser, the importance of the HBCU family is emphasized
Alabama State University head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. sort of spoke the Hornets’ 2024 Orange Blossom Classic appearance into existence.
It was late September 2023 and Robinson Jr. was Tallahassee-bound to play Florida A&M University. At the time, he had been reading legendary FAMU coach Jake Gaither’s biography, which had mentioned the importance of OBC. Then and there Robinson Jr. had a thought.
“‘Man, it would be great to play in that game at some point,’” Robinson Jr. recalled thinking as he sat at the podium during the 2024 OBC opening news conference. Almost on cue came ASU athletic director Jason Cable. “And Dr. Cable said ‘Hey man we may be able to play in the Orange Blossom Classic.’ It all came together so we’re just glad to be here.”
Though the matchup between the ASU Hornets and the North Carolina Central University Eagles won’t kick off until Sept. 1, the OBC held its opening festivities Tuesday at the Top Golf in Miami Gardens. The event brought together all involved parties — from local elected officials to both ASU and NCCU representatives — in order to highlight the importance of the OBC to the respective institutions as well as tout the classic as the premiere attraction for all Historically Black College or University graduates.
“The Orange Blossom is all of us,” Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert said, calling the classic a family reunion. A FAMU graduate, Gilbert admitted that he “would love to see FAMU every year, but the Orange Blossom is bigger than FAMU. It’s not about FAM. It’s not even about Alabama State. It’s not about North Carolina Central. It’s about us.”
In July 2023, the OBC made headlines following the departure of FAMU, which had anchored the classic since its inception in 1933. After attracting roughly 40,000 fans in 2022, attendance dropped in 2023 — seemingly due to the departure of former Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders. And with FAMU now on its way out due to scheduling conflicts, OBC officials had to replace an institution with not only strong local ties but also a huge alumni base. But as OBC executive director Kendra Bulluck-Major previously told the Miami Herald in late January, the selection of both teams came as a result of their competitiveness — ASU finished third in Eastern division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) while NCCU finished atop Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 2023 — and “strong following.”
“We feel really good that these teams will draw well,” Bulluck-Major said in late January.
Bulluck-Major reiterated that sentiment Tuesday afternoon.
“This is definitely something new that is on the gridiron, but what is not new with the Orange Blossom Classic is that we’re going to come together,” Bulluck-Major said. “We’re going to have an amazing reunion, it’s going to be an experience like no other and we’re going to let the HBCU community know that the city of Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade County is 100 percent the place to be when it comes to representing HBCUs and, most importantly, showing our youth what you can produce when you come from these amazing institutions.”
That ability to showcase HBCU culture on a national stage — the game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium and televised on ESPN — has always been a major selling point of the OBC. HBCU classics, however, are about more than just the game itself. Locally, events like the battle of the bands and commissioner’s kickoff luncheon can expose South Florida students to the wonders of an HBCU.
“For a lot of people, it will allow them to get a glimpse — just a glimpse — of what we know in this room: how important HBCUs are and their impact,” said Chris Jones, Sr., NCCU’s deputy athletic director for external affairs.
Still, despite the fanfare surrounding the OBC, a game will have to be played. There will be a loser. There will be a winner. And to compete in front of a national audience has emerged as a huge selling point for NCCU Coach Trei Oliver.
“A lot of these kids nowadays when you recruit them, they talk about they want to play at the highest level,” said Oliver, who led the Eagles to a victory at the 2022 Celebration Bowl, also known as the Black College Football Championship. “They want to play big time football. And to me, this is a high level and this is big time football.”
With both Oliver and Robinson Jr. now coaching at the same school they themselves attended, the importance of this moment was not lost on them. Both even engaged in some light trash-talking, egged on by their respective athletic directors. Although the competitive juices are sure to rise as gameday inches closer and closer, it was clear that today, only one thing truly mattered: the HBCU family.
“It’s truly a family tradition,” Robinson Jr. said, mentioning that his oldest son recently graduated from ASU. His father, the legendary Eddie Robinson Sr., coach at Grambling State University for more than 50 years, transforming the institution into a national powerhouse that produced more than 200 NFL players. “I love being there and I just love coaching at a HBCU.”
