Orange Blossom Classic Scheduled for September

The 47th Annual Orange Blossom Classic, featuring Florida A&M University’s inaugural season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) against Jackson State University, is scheduled to take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday, September 5, 2021. And it has quite a history.

Originally the Orange Blossom Classic (OBC) was a postseason college football game held between 1933 and 1978, featuring Florida A&M and another historically black school in an unofficial championship, commonly referred to as the "Black National Championship" game.

Jacksonville, FL was the location of the original game between FAMU and Howard University. The inaugural OBC was played in front of 2,000 fans at a "blacks-only" ballpark. Matchups continued on the gridiron, between FAMU and other HBCU’s, for 45 years consecutively in Jacksonville, Tampa, Tallahassee, and Miami.

After a 41-year hiatus, the Orange Blossom Classic Committee and the City of Miami Gardens announced the revival of the historic game in 2020. Due to the global pandemic, the relaunch was postponed.

For more information about the Orange Blossom Classic visit, www.orangeblossomclassic.com.