When Fred Jones founded the Southern Heritage Classic in 1990, he modeled it after other major neutral-site rivalries. Jones looked to the Red River Shootout in Dallas between Texas and Oklahoma. He looked to the game formerly known as the World's Largest Cocktail Party between Florida and Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla. He considered the Bayou Classic -- celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2009 -- pitting Southern and Grambling in New Orleans.
"That seemed to be the model you should follow," Jones said. "Two rival teams that are evenly matched and convenient to the game's location." Confirming Tuesday that Jackson State and Tennessee State have agreed to five-year contract extensions with the SHC -- ensuring that they will continue meeting each other on the second Saturday in September at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium through at least 2014 -- Jones solidified his own growing rivalry.
JSU and TSU have met in Memphis each year since 1994, and the SHC's profile has grown leaps and bounds in recent years with major increases in TV distribution. (Jones said he has struck a deal with SportSouth to televise the SHC in HD for the second year in a row.) "We obviously have something here that works from the fans', the sponsors', the schools' and the city's standpoint," Jones said.
The SHC, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was not initially founded as a classic rivalry with two set opponents. While TSU has participated in all 19 contests, the Tigers played Grambling and Mississippi Valley State once each in the game's early years. Now, with JSU firmly on board, the SHC can continue developing the rivalry aspect of the event. The TSU and JSU football teams and marching bands have earned their schools more than $3 million each through their participation in the SHC. The new contract gives each school the opportunity to earn $300,000 per year from 2010 to 2014 to help fund educational activities and expenses.
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