Houston welcomes two classics in one weekend

Not only did Hurricane Katrina prevent the Bayou Classic from occurring in its original location, the Category Four storm halted a tradition among football fans of Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern Universities.
The two Houston area schools were scheduled to play in their Labor Day Classic during the weekend after Katrina made landfall. Since evacuees were placed in Reliant Stadium, the game was postponed until Nov. 25, the day before the Bayou Classic.
“A lot of football fans have been anxiously awaiting the Labor Day Classic”, said Alois Blackwell, athletic director at Texas Southern. “Their patience has been greatly appreciated.”
Tigers and Panthers fans alike will finally have their day, and kickoff is at 1 p.m.
“We would have preferred playing the beginning of the year,” said Prairie View Sports Information Director Stefann Robinson. “But we didn’t have any control over nature. I think that it’s a great thing. Reliant Stadium is not too far for Louisianans to travel and Houston is a great place to be.”
Since the Labor Day Classic is on the day before the Bayou Classic, sponsors of both games are expecting big turnouts.
“The attendance should not conflict with the interest of the fans,” Robinson said. “Even though the Labor Day Classic is going to be played on Friday afternoon, a lot of people should be in attendance because they are already in the city for the Bayou Classic.”
Ryan McGinty, assistant sports information director at Prairie View, said having four universities that represent the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the city is a rare treat.
“Most of the Bayou Classic fans come from Houston and they are diehard Labor Day Classic fans as well. It’s good to have both classics in Houston during the same weekend,” McGinty said. “I think this is a positive thing for all four SWAC schools and it will bring a lot of excitement for the fans.”