By Jim Kleinpete
The Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule this week features the season’s first full slate of conference games, but one takes center stage: the Magic City Classic between Alabama A&M and Alabama State at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Unlike the Labor Day Classic (Prairie View vs. Texas Southern), the Soul Bowl (Alcorn State vs. Jackson State), the Florida Classic (Florida A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman) and the Bayou Classic (Southern vs. Grambling), this one takes place midseason and is usually a thriller.
Both teams are coming ff a bye week. Alabama A&M holds a 44-40-2 edge, but the Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 24-17 victory last year. The game is set for Saturday but the buildup of tailgating, parties and other events starts on Wednesday for HBCU fans in Alabama.
“The teams, the passion, the atmosphere are all unmatched,” Alabama A&M coach Connell Maynor said. “When I first took this job, they said, ‘Coach, you have to win two games, homecoming and the Classic.’ Just this year, I was with the (school) president, and a guy came up to me and said, ‘Just win one game, coach. The Classic. Win the Classic.’ I said do me a favor, tell my president that.
“No other job will tell you just win one game, beat your rival. It’s been that way ever since I’ve been here.”
Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson has seen it from every conceivable angle, as a player at Alabama State, a coach, a fan and a TV commentator.
“If you never have been to it, you’re missing out,” Robinson said. “The tailgating starts on Wednesday, but it would probably start the Saturday
before if they opened up the stadium.”
The game often has a bearing on the conference race, although A&M (4-3, 2-2 SWAC) and Alabama State (3-3, 2-2) are more than two games behind East Division leader Florida A&M (6-1, 5-0). But an A&M victory would set up an opportunity for the Bulldogs, who play at FAMU the following week. The Hornets lost to FAMU four weeks ago.
“I don’t have to give any rah-rah speeches; coach Robinson doesn’t have to give any rah-rah speeches,” Maynor said. “All we have to do is turn them loose.”
