New Orleans -- Thousands of fans, alumni, and students from Grambling State University and Southern University come to New Orleans every year for one of the biggest college rivalries in Louisiana, the Bayou Classic.
Prior to the Annual Bayou Classic, there was a coaches’ luncheon at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel November 26.
Head coaches from both teams Lyvonia “Stump” Mitchell, Southern University, and Rod Broadway, Grambling State University gave speeches in front of players from both teams, their families, friends, and Marines from the Marine Corps Recruiting Command.
Col. Grover. C. Lewis III, Assistant Chief of Staff for the Department of Public Safety, played an important role in Friday’s 37th Annual Bayou Classic Coaches’ Luncheon.
“I was there on behalf of recruiting command to bring efforts to get the word out to the community and to talk about my 28 years of experience in the Marine Corps,” he said.
Lewis presented the Excellence in Leadership awards to Southern University senior linebacker number 50, Sir Edward Toussaint Staten and Grambling State University sophomore wide receiver number 83, Van Alystin Phillips Jr.
The award is presented to a student athlete from each university, who has demonstrated the 14 Marine Corps leadership traits in the classroom, on the field, and in all aspects of their daily lives.
The Grambling State University Tigers faced off against the Southern University Jaguars the day following the luncheon.
The annual State Farm Bayou Classic is a National Collegiate Athletic Association football game for the two historically black college universities.
Going into the Classic, the Grambling State University Tigers, with eight wins and two losses, have the top scoring offense in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Both teams have 18 wins in the Bayou Classic, which increases the significance of this year’s game because it will be the tie breaker.