NASHVILLE, Tennessee - The Tennessee State-Florida A&M rivalry dates to 1944, but tonight marks the first time the two have met in the John Merritt Classic. Coach Rod Reed makes all his players aware of the significance of the rivalry by putting them through a required class — History of TSU Football.
“We’re young and not as battle-tested as we have been some of the last few years,” Reed said. “That’s why the first thing we do when these guys get on campus is have them take that class. We show them the Richard Dents, the Ed “Too Tall” Joneses, the Leon Moores and then we get into the rivalries. After it’s over they get it. They know this is a really, really big game. Plus, we have more than 20 guys on our team who are from Florida, and that helps them to understand the rivalry.”
TSU tied the series 25-25 by winning the last game in 2010, Reed’s first season as coach, 29-18.
Last season marked the first time since 1982 that TSU and FAMU didn’t play. They had met in the Atlanta Football Classic 13 consecutive years, but organizers did not invite TSU back after 2010.
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