Powdered sugar from the tops of funnel cake flying through the sky and smoke from countless grills filled the air 3 hours before kickoff in East Rutherford, NJ. Proud alumni of Morgan State and Howard University, students and people looking for a good game and a good time filled the stadium, bringing universal good vibes to this years Urban League Classic, an annual football game hosted by The New York Urban League. Each year the League uses the proceeds to benefit the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Scholarship Fund and the educational programs of the New York Urban League.
Still, 3 hours before the the start of the game it was clear that the tailgate before the Urban League classic was more than just a tailgate; it was party that went as far as the eye could see. As caravans of buses, cars and trucks continued to flow one after another into designated parking sections you could see this was only the beginning. Tents continued popping up like palm trees at the beach with school colors and Greek letters as old classmates reunite and friends come together to celebrate the start of the gridiron battle of these two great historically black universities.
“I like the tailgate because it’s not often that you get to see a lot of brown folks hanging out and having a good time up here and that’s nice it made me feel like I was back home again,” said Baltimore native and former Morganite Felicia Gauthier.
With so much going on at the tailgate it was nearly impossible to ignore the plethora of HBCU history all around. Another former Morganite Renee Barnes referred to an area towards the back of the tailgate filled with alumni from both institutions as “Old Head Row”.
“They’ve had the undergrad experience already that we had, so they know how to come out and appreciate it on a different level now,” Brown said.
People come to the Classic for all different reasons. Many people come to the game strictly for the tailgate festivities and never actually even see the inside of Met Life Stadium. Some people come for the game, heartily rooting on their team from the stands in their school paraphernalia. Then there are the people who come solely for the band like Morgan alum Patricia Milling and Howard alum Naima Wallace.
“The band is the heart and the soul when it comes to the game!” said Milling.
“The bands are always a favorite part,” said Wallace, “Both my family members and myself were in each of the bands and my parents were charter members for the band fraternity and sororities so it was definitely a tradition for me.”
The Bears defeated the Bison 38-35, adding another win to their two year winning streak against Howard at the Classic. So after a hard fought game the Bears were able to pull through with a game winning field goal by Chris Moller in the final seconds of the 4th quarter.
The Bears improved to a 3-2 record, and a 2-0 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Bears are second in the MEAC in scoring offense and hope to continue their winning streak with a 4th win this weekend when the team travels to Norfolk, Virginia this Saturday to face the 0-4 Spartans. The game will be broadcasted over Morgan’s radio station WEAA and WEAA.org.
Photos by MSU Media Relations and David Wilson.
