MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A sea of fans filed into Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for a clash of NFL stars at the Southern Heritage Classic.
Deion Sanders versus Eddie George: The Hall of Fame defensive back turned Jackson State coach and legendary running back turned Tennessee State coach would meet for the first time in one of the most iconic games in HBCU football.
This year’s battle of Tigers—one that HBCU fans anticipated since Tennessee State hired George as coach earlier this year—brought out the barbecue pits, the back-and-forth battle between Tennessee State's Aristocrat of Bands and Jackson State's Sonic Boom of the South and two historic programs looking to change the narrative around the atmosphere of HBCU football.