Turkey Day Classic facts for kids

A picture of the Turkey Day Classic logo.

The Turkey Day Classic is a special college football game. It is usually played every year on Thanksgiving Day. For a long time, the game was between two historic Black colleges: Alabama State University and Tuskegee University.

The game first took place in Montgomery, Alabama at the Cramton Bowl. In 2012, it moved to Alabama State's new Hornet Stadium. This game is one of two big "black college football classics" played around Thanksgiving. The other one is the Bayou Classic, which happens two days later. The Turkey Day Classic is known for being a rivalry game between two teams.

Many fun events happen in downtown Montgomery around the game. These events can last for several weeks. They include parades, parties, and other celebrations. Other classic games also have activities like golfing and tailgating.

History of the Classic Game

The very first Turkey Day Classic was played in 1924. Many people consider it the first-ever black college football classic. For a long time, Tuskegee University would not join the NCAA Division II National Football Championship. They chose to play in the Turkey Day Classic instead. This happened even when Tuskegee had a very good season.

Similarly, Alabama State and other teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) often choose not to play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. This allows them to play in the Turkey Day Classic. It also helps with other big games like the Bayou Classic. SWAC teams instead play for the Celebration Bowl.

In 2013, Tuskegee stopped playing in the Turkey Day Classic. This was because they wanted to join the college playoffs. The game still continued, but Stillman College became Alabama State's opponent.

In 2014, Alabama State said they would stop the Turkey Day Classic. This was so they could try to play in the Division I championship. For two years, Alabama State held its homecoming game the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Stillman College was still their opponent in 2014.

In 2015, it was announced that the Alabama State-Tuskegee rivalry would start again in 2017. These games were planned for early September. They were called the Labor Day Classic. For the 2015 season, Miles College played in Alabama State's November homecoming game.

In 2016, the Turkey Day Classic returned to Thanksgiving Day. Miles College played against Alabama State again. In 2017, Alabama State was supposed to play Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. But Cheyney had money problems and stopped its football program. Edward Waters College stepped in to play the game instead.

The 2018 Turkey Day Classic was played against Mississippi Valley State University. This team had won the classic once before, in 1971. The change was made to try and get more people to come to the game. However, fewer people still attended, and the game was not shown on TV.

In 2019, Prairie View A&M played in the Thanksgiving Day game. They became only the second team besides Tuskegee or Alabama State to win the classic. They beat Alabama State 20–17.

The 2020 game was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Both teams' conferences stopped all fall sports. In 2021, Tuskegee returned to play on Thanksgiving Day. The game was shown online on ESPN+. In 2022, the University of Arkansas–Pine Bluff played Alabama State. They won 19–14.

Game results

NOTE: No game was played in 2020.

(*) This game was decided in overtime. This means the teams played extra time because the score was tied at the end of the regular game.

See also

• List of black college football classics
• American football on Thanksgiving