Bayou Classic: The Grambling-Southern Football Rivalry

"Army—Navy, Florida-Florida State, Texas-Oklahoma. All fine and good, but honestly, they might have to wait in line for a roll call of great college football rivalries when somebody mentions Grambling vs. Southern. Or should we say, 'Bayou Classic,' because that says it all about the Tigers and Jaguars squaring off at the Louisiana Superdome on another Thanksgiving weekend. Aiello's book gives you the straight, detailed scoop on why this game has taken on must-attend proportions for too many seasons to count. After you read it, you'll want to purchase tickets to the next duel in the 'Dome."-O.K. "Buddy" Davis, executive sports editor. Ruston Daily Leader

The annual clash in New Orleans between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars represents the fiercest and most anticipated instate football rivalry in Louisiana. The most significant national game to feature historically black colleges and universities is more than a contest; the Bayou Classic is a lavish event, featuring celebrities, a fan festival, and a halftime -Battle of the Bands" that offers an intensity equal to that of the gridiron. "To appreciate the rivalry," Coach Eddie Robinson once noted, "you have to realize Grambling and Southern fans are close friends, as well as relatives." In Bayou Classic, Thomas Aiello chronicles the history of the game and explores the two schools' broader significance to Louisiana, to sports, and to the black community.

"Bayou Classic is much more than a book about a famous football rivalry. Aiello tells a great sports story, but he also skillfully discusses issues of race in the South as well as the interesting and sometimes tense relationships between institutions, students, and administrators—all within a black college context. Bayou Classic is beautifully written and thoroughly researched."-Marybeth Gasman, co-editor of Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Triumphs. Troubles, and Taboos

Thomas Aiello, an assistant professor of history at Valdosta State University, is the editor of Dan Burley's Jive and David Lawson's Paul Morphy: The Pride and sorrow of Chess.