SU students excited the classic returning home

From its start in 1974 to present, the State Farm Bayou Classic has been more than just a hyped multihued football game.
It is a shared camaraderie, a reunion amongst family and friends that lives within a game.
Last year, August 29, Hurricane Katrina altered the establishment of the game being played in the New Orleans Superdome as she rummaged through southeastern Louisiana. The Superdome suffered tremendously from flooding and wind damage forcing the 32nd State Farm Bayou Classic to relocate to Houston, Texas. The first time the game had been played away from New Orleans since it became known as the “Bayou Classic.”
The emotions of the fans about the Bayou Classic’s relocation were up in the air, but the gridiron match up between the Southern University Jaguars and the Grambling State Tigers had to continue. The Reliant Stadium in Houston hosted the Classic, but the traditional joyous feeling of reunion was not the same that year.
“The atmosphere in Houston was different,” said Pharalynne Howard, a senior therapeutic recreation major from Baton Rouge. “People were glad that the game was still being played but the excitement was not the same.
“It’s because the Bayou Classic is more than just a game, it’s an experience that no place other than New Orleans can fulfill,” Howard said.
This year, there will not only be a reunion amongst familiar faces, but a festive celebration. A homecoming for the 33rd State Farm Bayou Classic which will be returning to the Crescent City.
“This year’s Bayou classic will be more of an exciting homecoming affair, because it’s coming back to New Orleans where it belongs,” said Olyvhia Essen, a junior apparel and merchandise major from Renton, Wash. “I’m thankful that Houston welcomed it to their city last year, but now its time for it to come home because it is a part of New Orleans culture.
“With the Bayou Classic back at the Superdome, it will bring the feeling of togetherness back to New Orleans,” Essen said.
The State Farm Bayou Classic has become one of the most immense and noticeable sporting events in black college football. The game sells out and attracts over 70, 000 fans each year, as they all gather to watch two old rivals, Jaguars and the Tigers battle for glory.
“I’ve been going to the Bayou Classic since I was in high school,” said Ashley Lawrence, a senior English major and New Orleans native. “Southern and Grambling are two Louisiana state universities, and they need to be played in their home state.
Houston wasn’t the best experience because the fans were in an unfamiliar setting, so we didn’t know what to expect,” Lawrence said. “I believe that this year there will be more people, and more partying, because people will be so excited that the Bayou Classic is back at home.”
For some people, last year in Houston was their first experience with the Bayou Classic, yet they are excited for it coming back to New Orleans nonetheless.
“Houston was my first encounter with the Bayou Classic,” said Paris Williams, a junior criminal justice major from San Diego, Calif. “I had fun in Houston, but I’m eager to see what having it in New Orleans in going to be like.”
As Superdome gets ready to host the 33rd annual event, the excitement of it coming back home is prevalent.
“I’m excited because I think that the Classic is going to be great,” Williams said. “New Orleans is where it originated from, and it’s always good to be home.”