Circle City Classic

The Circle City Classic is an annual American football game featuring two historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs) and played in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was established in 1984 by Indiana Black Expo and has been played every year except 2020, when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[1] No game was played for the 2022 Circle City Classic. The game was held from 1984 to 2007 in the RCA Dome and was moved to the new Lucas Oil Stadium in 2008. In addition to the weekend game, there is also a parade, The Classic Coronation, and concert related to the Classic.

Circle City Classic
Circle City Classic
Stadium	Lucas Oil Stadium
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
Previous stadiums	RCA Dome
Operated	1984–present
2017 matchup
Kentucky State vs. Central State (34–21)
2018 matchup
Bethune–Cookman vs. Howard (September 22, 2018)

Game results

Year	Winning team		Losing team		Source
1984	Mississippi Valley State	48	Grambling State	36	[2]
1985	Mississippi Valley State	28	Tennessee State	13	[3]
1986	Central State (OH)	41	Florida A&M	3	[4]
1987	Central State (OH)	31	Tennessee State	28	[5]
1988*	Florida A&M	10*	Jackson State	10*	[6]
1989	Jackson State	27	Bethune–Cookman	7	[7]
1990	Grambling State	27	Alabama A&M	20	[8]
1991	Alcorn State	46	Howard	27	[9]
1992	Central State (OH)	34	Alabama State	13	[10]
1993	South Carolina State	34	Jackson State	33	[11]
1994	North Carolina A&T	22	Southern	21
1995	Alcorn State	46	Howard	27
1996	Florida A&M	59	Hampton	58
1997	North Carolina A&T	49	Tennessee State	37
1998	Howard	32	Bethune–Cookman	25
1999	Southern	21	Hampton	6	[12]
2000	Grambling State	12	Florida A&M	10	[13]
2001	Tennessee State	45	Howard	0
2002	Alabama A&M	27	Southern	11
2003	Florida A&M	28	Jackson State	14	[14]
2004	South Carolina State	30	Tennessee State	13
2005	North Carolina A&T	16	Tennessee State	3
2006	Central State (OH)	42	Hampton	3
2007	Winston-Salem State	27	Florida A&M	23
2008	Tuskegee	34	Alabama A&M	24
2009	Alabama A&M	35	Tuskegee	15
2010	Tennessee State	37	North Carolina A&T	7
2011	Albany State	57	Kentucky State	31
2012	North Carolina Central	40	South Carolina State	10
2013	Alcorn State	48	Grambling State	0
2014	Kentucky State	31	Central State (OH)	24
2015	Kentucky State	21	Central State (OH)	17
2016	Kentucky State	17	Central State (OH)	14
2017	Kentucky State	34	Central State (OH)	22
2018	Howard	41	Bethune–Cookman	35
2019	Kentucky State	33	Jackson State	25
2020	Game canceled	due to	Pandemic
2021	Kentucky State	34	Benedict	28
2022	No game
2023	North Carolina Central	45	Mississippi Valley State	3
2024	North Carolina Central	37	Norfolk State	10

* Denotes a tie ^[15]

See also

• List of black college football classics
• List of attractions and events in Indianapolis

References

1. Indiana Black Expo 50th Anniversary events and Circle City Classic canceled, WRTV Indianapolis, April 23, 2020, accessed January 31, 2021
2. "QB Totten tosses for 4 TDs as Devils roll". The Indianapolis Star. October 14, 1984. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Mississippi Valley State triumphs". The Indianapolis Star. October 6, 1985. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Running duo sparks 5–0 Central State". The Indianapolis Star. October 12, 1986. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Central St. nips Tennessee St". The Indianapolis Star. October 4, 1987. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Jackson St. ties Florida A&M". The Indianapolis Star. October 2, 1988. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Jackson St. takes Circle City Classic". The Indianapolis Star. October 1, 1989. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Grambling captures Circle City". The Indianapolis Star. October 7, 1990. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Alcorn State duo sparks victory". The Indianapolis Star. October 6, 1991. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Central State strikes with big plays in Classic". The Indianapolis Star. October 4, 1992. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "S. Carolina State wins close Classic". The Indianapolis Star. October 3, 1993. Retrieved August 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Southern stops Hampton in battle of I-AA unbeatens". The Indianapolis Star. October 3, 1999. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Grambling State delivers classic effort". The Indianapolis Star. October 8, 2000. Retrieved March 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Rattlers' QB offers classic performance". The Indianapolis Star. October 5, 2003. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "History | Circle City Classic". www.circlecityclassic.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014.

External links

• Circle City Classic
• Indiana Black Expo Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
• Circle City Classic Encyclopedia of Indianapolis