'Cats Look Forward To Florida Classic
It's almost that time of year again when the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats and the Rattlers of Florida A&M University football teams put it all on the line for bragging rights.
The 39th annual Florida Blue Classic featuring the two teams will make its way back to Orlando on Nov.18 at Camping World Stadium.
The Wildcats extended their winning streak to six games last year, beating the Rattlers 39-19. They are looking to make it seven wins as they battle it out during the annual event.
For the uninformed, the Florida Classic was first played in Tampa in 1978 and the rivalry was born. In 1997, the two schools moved the game to Orlando.
Since its inception, the game has attracted more than 1.8 million spectators, according to its website. That makes it the biggest black college sporting event in the country; but the Florida Classic is more than just a football game. It is a weekend of fun, a weekend of experience, a weekend of tradition, a weekend where longtime college friends reunite, families come together and fans come see their favorite university shut it down in the O-town.
They include people like Amanda Ali, a freshman mass communications major, who will be in the stands at the classic for the first time.
"No, I haven't been before. I was just focused on high school," Ali said. "But now that I'm a freshman here at Bethune-Cookman, I'm trying to attend my first classic this year," she said, noting that the band from Miami Northwestern Senior High-where she attended school -- has performed there.
She said she is looking forward to the halftime show featuring the bands from Bethune-Cookman and FAMU.
Likewise, Natasheona Morris, a sophomore business administration student, also plans to attend the game. Morris said she has been going to the game since she was in middle school.
She said she is ready to see Bethune-Cookman keep its recent unbeatable record and beat FAMU for the seventh time in a row. She also wants to see the step show, battle of the bands and the venue set up for the different kinds of food.
By Kiondra Albert