The first Bayou Classic was held long before the esteemed event became the Thanksgiving weekend destination that it is today.
With 52 years under its belt, the annual rival football game between Grambling State and Southern University has become a living archive of historically Black college and university culture, serving as a bridge between past- and present-day history and acting as a living museum of Blackness and Southern legacy.
How it all began
Although the teams’ first matchup was held on Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day and honored on Nov. 11 annually, in 1932, the Bayou Classic didn’t take place until another 42 years later.
The inaugural Bayou Classic was held at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1974. It featured a then-freshman quarterback, Doug Williams, who led the Grambling State Tigers to a 21-0 victory over the Southern Jaguars…