Two Historically Black Universities will battle on the football field in Fort Lauderdale for the very first Florida Beach Bowl. The Fort Valley State University Wildcats (7-3) will take on the Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls (7-3) at 7:30 p.m. this Dec. 13 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. In a battle of top HBCU programs in Division II, the game hopes to make this a big draw for HBCU football fans nationwide. Florida Beach Bowl CEO Victor Robenson said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring these top teams to South Florida, and to make waves and score big for the Fort Lauderdale area and all of the surrounding communities.”
Both FVSU and JCSU have been around since the 19th century. Founded in 1895, Fort Valley State University is located in Fort Valley, Ga. where it was most recently named the state’s top public HBCU, according to the U.S. News World Report’s 2024 annual college rankings. Its notable graduates include Mayor Howard Nathaniel Lee, the first Black person to hold such a position in a Southern, majority-white city, Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Rayfield White and Jo Ann Gibson Robinson, one of the orchestrators behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, JCSU was founded in 1867 and boasts a long list of famous alumni including Edward R. Dudley, the first Black U.S. ambassador, Hon. Richard C. Erwin, the first Black federal judge in North Carolina history, and Sayde Curry, the first Black woman to become a gastroenterologist in the United States. The Florida Beach Bowl now gives South Florida its second HBCU football showcase. In 2021, the Orange Blossom Classic returned to Miami Gardens after a 43-year hiatus. And just like the OBC, there will be a host of events surrounding the big game including a celebrity golf tournament on Dec. 8, a 5K run on Dec. 9 and fan fest tailgate on Dec. 13.
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