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Game on: Florida A&M, Southern to renew rivalry
(STATS) - Florida A&M and Southern announced Wednesday they will renew one of oldest nonconference rivalries among historically black colleges and universities with a home-and-home series in 2019 and '20.
The two schools - Florida A&M plays in the MEAC and Southern the SWAC - first met in 1941, and FAMU holds a 33-26-1 series lead. They've met only four times since 2001, and not since 2012, when Southern won 21-14 in the Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome.
"The two-year, home-and-home agreement with Southern University is a 'win-win' for both schools," FAMU athletic director Dr. John Eason said. "We are excited about the opportunity of playing one of the most recognized football programs among HBCUs. It represents our efforts to ignite our fan base with games they want to see."
Florida A&M will host the first matchup on Sept. 21, 2019 at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee. The following season, they will meet on Sept. 12, 2020 at Southern's A.W. "Ace" Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
"The renewal of this rivalry represents the best of both schools and will spark high interest among our respective fans," said Southern athletic director Roman Banks. "This one is a 'no-brainer.' Southern and FAMU should play each other and we're extremely excited about this development."
The two programs have combined to win 22 black college football national championships (Florida A&M 12, Southern 10). Past greats in the programs include FAMU's Bob Hayes, Ken Riley, Willie Galimore and coach A.S. "Jake" Gaither, and Southern's Mel Blount, Isiah "Butch" Robertson, Aeneas Williams and coach Arnett "Ace" Mumford.
