Thousands to attend Circle City Classic
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - It's classic weekend again in Indy.
A pep rally is set to begin at White River State Park at 4 p.m. featuring marching bands from North Carolina A&T State and Tennessee State. Following the rally fans can head to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch the Circle City Classic High School game. Warren Central will take on Carmel High School at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a gospel explosion at the Madame Walker Theatre and a comedy jam at Old National Centre.
On Saturday, thousands of fans will make their way downtown to watch the electric Circle City Classic Parade.
Footballs will be flying and pads will be poppin' this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in front of thousands of screaming fans.
No, Peyton Manning will not be in town. The Indianapolis Colts play Sunday in Jacksonville. Instead, what is on the docket is the 27th annual Circle City Classic. “We're ready for a breakout,” North Carolina A&T coach Alonzo Lee said. “This should be an exciting game.”
Lee's Aggies (0-4) will face Tennessee State (2-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Circle City Classic organizers look to boost 27-year-old event
Indiana Black Expo officials are fighting to breathe new life into the Circle City Classic, but they have a steep hill to climb to assure the 27-year-old event maintains long-term financial viability in Indianapolis.
Coming off a year in which ticket revenue declined 19 percent, sponsorship revenue fell 12 percent and overall revenue dropped 15 percent, IBE officials hope a series of new attractions and events will stir up more interest in the annual football game and festival.
“Things are going quite well,” said IBE spokeswoman Elizabeth Hart. “Ticket sales are trending well; we think better than last year. We expect a big draw this year from followers of the out-of-town schools involved as well as local residents. We think we have some attractions that are really going to bring people to the event this year.”
This year’s game, to be played Saturday in Lucas Oil Stadium, features North Carolina A&T State University against Tennessee State University.
13 WTHRCircle City Classic has new twist
Indianapolis - The Circle City Classic has a new twist this year. Two local high schools will kick off the classic weekend with a game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Carmel plays Warren Central Friday night at 7:30 pm. The Carmel Greyhounds are hoping to avenge a loss to the Warren Central Warriors during last year's state championship game.
"We've been around for 27 years. We really wanted to add a new aspect to the Circle City Classic - keep it fresh, and so we wanted to incorporate the high school students and high school athletes into the Circle City Classic weekend. We are hoping for a great success and great crowds this year so we can continue it for years to come," said Elizabeth Hart, Indiana Black Expo.
TSU running back gains national attention
Tennessee State running back Preston Brown knew he had rushed for a lot of yards this season, but wasn't sure exactly how many. He also wasn't aware of where he ranked in the Football Championship Subdivision.
When told he had climbed to second nationally, averaging 153.8 yards, and that he has more rushing yards (615) than any other player, Brown was glad to hear it. Grambling's Frank Warren leads the FCS, averaging 162.7 yards.
READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.
The two coaches who will lead their football teams in today's Circle City Classic came up through the same career path.
Tennessee State's Rod Reed and North Carolina A&T's Alonzo Lee were assistant coaches and then coordinators at historically black colleges and universities before getting a chance at the top job. It's a key development, both say, to have the opportunity for that kind of advancement instead of seeing assistants from big-name schools swoop in and be named head coaches.
The only thing Tennessee State Coach Rod Reed enjoys watching as much as Preston Brown making long runs is the Tigers' defense stopping the run. "Being an old defensive coach that's what really makes me happy because when you stop the run, you stop a lot of the things most offenses are going to try to do," said Reed, who was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach after James Webster resigned last season.
Brown's running, combined with TSU's ability to stop North Carolina A&T running back Mike Mayhew, will be a key for the Tigers (2-2) in today's Circle City Classic against the Aggies (0-4) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
It's yet to be seen if a high school football game will become a permanent part of the Circle City Classic weekend, but event officials said Friday night's showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium between Class 5A second-ranked and defending state champion Warren Central (5-1) and top-ranked Carmel (6-0) will provide a boost in exposure and enthusiasm to the festivities.
The Circle City Classic, a joint collaboration between Indiana Black Expo Inc. and the Indiana Sports Corp., has been played as a college game every year since 1984; this year's game pits North Carolina A&T against Tennessee State at 4 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.
A pep rally is set to begin at White River State Park at 4 p.m. featuring marching bands from North Carolina A&T State and Tennessee State. Following the rally fans can head to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch the Circle City Classic High School game. Warren Central will take on Carmel High School at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a gospel explosion at the Madame Walker Theatre and a comedy jam at Old National Centre.
On Saturday, thousands of fans will make their way downtown to watch the electric Circle City Classic Parade.
College game on Colts' turf |
Footballs will be flying and pads will be poppin' this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in front of thousands of screaming fans.
No, Peyton Manning will not be in town. The Indianapolis Colts play Sunday in Jacksonville. Instead, what is on the docket is the 27th annual Circle City Classic. “We're ready for a breakout,” North Carolina A&T coach Alonzo Lee said. “This should be an exciting game.”
Lee's Aggies (0-4) will face Tennessee State (2-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Circle City Classic organizers look to boost 27-year-old event
Indiana Black Expo officials are fighting to breathe new life into the Circle City Classic, but they have a steep hill to climb to assure the 27-year-old event maintains long-term financial viability in Indianapolis.
Coming off a year in which ticket revenue declined 19 percent, sponsorship revenue fell 12 percent and overall revenue dropped 15 percent, IBE officials hope a series of new attractions and events will stir up more interest in the annual football game and festival.
“Things are going quite well,” said IBE spokeswoman Elizabeth Hart. “Ticket sales are trending well; we think better than last year. We expect a big draw this year from followers of the out-of-town schools involved as well as local residents. We think we have some attractions that are really going to bring people to the event this year.”
This year’s game, to be played Saturday in Lucas Oil Stadium, features North Carolina A&T State University against Tennessee State University.
13 WTHRCircle City Classic has new twist
Indianapolis - The Circle City Classic has a new twist this year. Two local high schools will kick off the classic weekend with a game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Carmel plays Warren Central Friday night at 7:30 pm. The Carmel Greyhounds are hoping to avenge a loss to the Warren Central Warriors during last year's state championship game.
"We've been around for 27 years. We really wanted to add a new aspect to the Circle City Classic - keep it fresh, and so we wanted to incorporate the high school students and high school athletes into the Circle City Classic weekend. We are hoping for a great success and great crowds this year so we can continue it for years to come," said Elizabeth Hart, Indiana Black Expo.
TSU running back gains national attention
Tennessee State running back Preston Brown knew he had rushed for a lot of yards this season, but wasn't sure exactly how many. He also wasn't aware of where he ranked in the Football Championship Subdivision.
When told he had climbed to second nationally, averaging 153.8 yards, and that he has more rushing yards (615) than any other player, Brown was glad to hear it. Grambling's Frank Warren leads the FCS, averaging 162.7 yards.
READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.
Circle City Classic coaches share career path |
The two coaches who will lead their football teams in today's Circle City Classic came up through the same career path.
Tennessee State's Rod Reed and North Carolina A&T's Alonzo Lee were assistant coaches and then coordinators at historically black colleges and universities before getting a chance at the top job. It's a key development, both say, to have the opportunity for that kind of advancement instead of seeing assistants from big-name schools swoop in and be named head coaches.
Run game will make or break TSU |
The only thing Tennessee State Coach Rod Reed enjoys watching as much as Preston Brown making long runs is the Tigers' defense stopping the run. "Being an old defensive coach that's what really makes me happy because when you stop the run, you stop a lot of the things most offenses are going to try to do," said Reed, who was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach after James Webster resigned last season.
Brown's running, combined with TSU's ability to stop North Carolina A&T running back Mike Mayhew, will be a key for the Tigers (2-2) in today's Circle City Classic against the Aggies (0-4) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Indiana Black Expo all for this game |
It's yet to be seen if a high school football game will become a permanent part of the Circle City Classic weekend, but event officials said Friday night's showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium between Class 5A second-ranked and defending state champion Warren Central (5-1) and top-ranked Carmel (6-0) will provide a boost in exposure and enthusiasm to the festivities.
The Circle City Classic, a joint collaboration between Indiana Black Expo Inc. and the Indiana Sports Corp., has been played as a college game every year since 1984; this year's game pits North Carolina A&T against Tennessee State at 4 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.
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