Orange Blossom Classic
| Orange Blossom Classic (defunct) | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | Orange Bowl |
| Location | Miami, Florida |
| Previous locations | Jacksonville, Tampa, and Tallahassee |
| Operated | 1933–1978 |
The Orange Blossom Classic was an annual postseason college football game held between 1933 and 1978. Each year, it featured Florida A&M and another historically black school in an unofficial de facto championship game.[1] It was seen as a mythical "Black National Championship" game.[2] For example, the December 5, 1942 "Afro American" newspaper refers to the 1942 game as a national title game, as does at least one source for the 1945 game (see: http://media-newswire.com/release_1143144.html).
Presently, an occasional regular season game between Florida A&M and Florida International is called the Orange Blossom Classic.[1][3] Florida International, however, is not a historically black college. These two teams last played in 2005 and are not scheduled to meet again in the near future.
Game results
| Year | Site | Winning team | Losing team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Jacksonville, Florida | Florida A&M | 9 | Howard | 0 |
| 1934 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 13 | Virginia State | 12 |
| 1935 | Jacksonville, Florida | Kentucky State | 19 | Florida A&M | 10 |
| 1936 | Jacksonville, Florida | Prairie View | 25 | Florida A&M | 0 |
| 1937 | Jacksonville, Florida | Florida A&M | 25 | Hampton | 20 |
| 1938 | Jacksonville, Florida | Florida A&M | 9 | Kentucky State | 7 |
| 1939 | Jacksonville, Florida | Florida A&M | 42 | Wiley | 0 |
| 1940 | Jacksonville, Florida | Central State | 0 | Florida A&M | 0 |
| 1941 | Jacksonville, Florida | Florida A&M | 15 | Tuskegee | 7 |
| 1942 | Jacksonville, Florida | Florida A&M | 12 | Texas College | 6 |
| 1943 | Jacksonville, Florida | Hampton | 39 | Florida A&M | 0 |
| 1944 | Jacksonville, Florida | Virginia State | 19 | Florida A&M | 6 |
| 1945 | Jacksonville, Florida | Wiley | 32 | Florida A&M | 6 |
| 1946 | Tampa, Florida | Lincoln | 20 | Florida A&M | 0 |
| 1947 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 7 | Hampton | 0 |
| 1948 | Miami, Florida | Virginia Union | 10 | Florida A&M | 6 |
| 1949 | Miami, Florida | North Carolina A&T | 20 | Florida A&M | 14 |
| 1950 | Miami, Florida | Central State | 13 | Florida A&M | 6 |
| 1951 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 67 | North Carolina Central | 6 |
| 1952 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 29 | Virginia State | 7 |
| 1953 | Miami, Florida | Prairie View | 33 | Florida A&M | 27 |
| 1954 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 67 | Maryland State[nb 1] | 19 |
| 1955 | Miami, Florida | Grambling | 28 | Florida A&M | 21 |
| 1956 | Miami, Florida | Tennessee State | 41 | Florida A&M | 39 |
| 1957 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 27 | Maryland State[nb 1] | 21 |
| 1958 | Miami, Florida | Prairie View | 26 | Florida A&M | 8 |
| 1959 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 28 | Prairie View | 7 |
| 1960 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 40 | Langston | 26 |
| 1961 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 14 | Jackson State | 8 |
| 1962 | Miami, Florida | Jackson State | 22 | Florida A&M | 6 |
| 1963 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 30 | Morgan State | 7 |
| 1964 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 42 | Grambling | 15 |
| 1965 | Miami, Florida | Morgan State | 36 | Florida A&M | 7 |
| 1966 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 43 | Alabama A&M | 26 |
| 1967 | Miami, Florida | Grambling | 28 | Florida A&M | 25 |
| 1968 | Miami, Florida | Alcorn State | 36 | Florida A&M | 9 |
| 1969 | Tallahassee, Florida | Florida A&M | 23 | Grambling | 19 |
| 1970 | Miami, Florida | Jacksonville State | 21 | Florida A&M | 7 |
| 1971 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 27 | Kentucky State | 9 |
| 1972 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 41 | Maryland-Eastern Shore[nb 1] | 21 |
| 1973 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 23 | South Carolina State | 12 |
| 1974 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 17 | Howard | 13 |
| 1975 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 40 | Kentucky State | 13 |
| 1976 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 26 | Central State | 21 |
| 1977 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 37 | Delaware State | 15 |
| 1978 | Miami, Florida | Florida A&M | 31 | Grambling | 7 |
Appearances by school
| No. | School | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 46 | Florida A&M | 26–19–1 |
| 5 | Grambling | 2–3 |
| 4 | Kentucky State | 1–3 |
| 4 | Prairie View | 3–1 |
| 3 | Central State | 1–1–1 |
| 3 | Hampton | 1–2 |
| 3 | Maryland-Eastern Shore[nb 1] | 0–3 |
| 3 | Virginia State | 1–2 |
| 2 | Howard | 0–2 |
| 2 | Jackson State | 1–1 |
| 2 | Morgan State | 2–0 |
| 2 | Wiley | 1–1 |
| 1 | Alabama A&M | 0–1 |
| 1 | Alcorn State | 1–0 |
| 1 | Langston | 0–1 |
| 1 | North Carolina A&T | 1–0 |
| 1 | North Carolina Central | 0–1 |
| 1 | South Carolina State | 0–1 |
| 1 | Tennessee State | 1–0 |
| 1 | Texas College | 0–1 |
| 1 | Virginia Union | 1–0 |
Source: [4]
Footnotes
See also
References
- 1 2 Super Bowl Catches Up to Orange Blossom Classic, The New York Times, February 3, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ↑ Tremene Triplett, Fans, coaches, athletes reminisce about the historic Orange Blossom Classic, South Florida Times, March 14, 2008, retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ↑ Dave Marks, "Florida A&M band highlights annual Orange Blossom Classic", Miami Times, November 23, 2004.
- ↑ Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book, National Collegiate Athletic Association, p. 367–368.