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| A.D. Teresa L. Philips |
Low attendance by Tigers fans cited as reason
Tennessee State Athletics Director Teresa Phillips said the Tigers will not play in the Atlanta Football Classic next season for the first time since 1994, and she hopes to replace the September game with a Football Bowl Subdivision or a "prominent" Football Championship Subdivision opponent.
TSU, an FCS team, has played Florida A&M in the past nine Atlanta Football Classics at the Georgia Dome and was involved in 17 of the 19 games since 1989.
Phillips said she became aware several weeks ago that officials from the Atlanta Football Classic were negotiating with Southern University as an opponent for Florida A&M to replace TSU. She received official word last week that the Tigers would not be invited back.
TSU Tigers Will Not Play In Atlanta Classic in 2011
Tennessee State University Athletic Director Teresa Phillips has released the tentative 2011 football schedule without the Atlanta Classic against perennial opponent, Florida A&M University.
"The Atlanta Classic is sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta and they decided to bring in another opponent to face Florida A&M," said Phillips. “We are in active negotiations to schedule an FBS or prominent FCS team to replace that game this year.” She concluded saying, “We expect to complete our schedule by the end of the month.”
The Tigers and Rattlers have played each other for twenty-eight consecutive years with FAMU holding a 26-25-1 edge in the all-time series. TSU beat FAMU 29-18 last year in Atlanta in front of a crowd of 54,202.
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