Antroy
Well-Known Member
I took parts out of both letters that were written, along with adding some small things that I felt would help. So, here it is. Now, where I have the "Sincerely...Members of the SWACPage Network Message Board" and the internet site, you can take it out and put your name on it or you can PM someone your real name and your screen name and they (or I) can put it on the letter and email it to ESPN. If I do it, I would have to have all names by 12 or 1 p.m. Friday (I'm leaving sometime after that heading to Jackson to get a fresh Tiger rug 
). Without further adieu, here is what I came up with. I hope you all like it and make sure Nita checks behind me. I'm a good proof reader but I might have missed something.
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To Whom It May Concern:
There's a war brewing! It?s a battle for honor, respect, pride and a championship. It?s a battle between two tradition rich and nationally ranked football teams. Witnessed by 70,000 loyal fans. This battle pits neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, and brother against brother...AND THIS TIME ITS FOR ALL THE MARBLES!
As diehard college football fans who exhibit great fervor and enthusiasm 365 days a year for both Southern University and Grambling State University, we would like to request that the ESPN committee consider televising ESPN?s College Game Day live from the Bayou Classic at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. As mentioned so eloquently via espn.com on the ?Vote for Best Rivalry? poll, this ?mini Mardi Gras? rivals the biggest party in the World, in addition to the Sugar and Super Bowls in terms of economic impact on the Crescent City.
This rivalry not only fuels some of the most heated feuds among each school's faithful, it also stands as the largest African American social event in the country with 70k fans attending the game and well over 200k in attendance for the weekend?s festivities. Hollywood celebrities are known to attend the Bayou Classic and cheer for these teams even though they have no sworn allegiance to either one.
The match up features arguably one college football?s most storied programs in the Grambling Tigers ? which features four former faces of the ?G-MEN? in Canton, OH as well as five in the College Football Hall of Fame ? including the living legend Eddie Robinson and his prot?g?, Super Bowl MVP and current Grambling coach Doug Williams. The mighty Jaguars of Southern University sport an equally proud tradition as College Football Hall of Famer A.W. Mumford began the Jaguars? legacy of excellence in athletics - from Hall of Famer Mel Blount to future Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams.
This year?s game not only marks the 30th anniversary of this Classic, it also serves as an elimination contest. The winner of the Bayou Classic earns the right to represent the Western Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the SWAC Championship Game on December 13th in Birmingham, Alabama. The game will showcase two nationally ranked D-1AA football teams as well as two players in the hunt for "The Walter Payton Award" which is given to the nation?s top 1-AA performer. Grambling State quarterback Bruce Eugene and Southern University quarterback Quincy Richard (Ree-shard) are both candidates for this prestigious award.
Another dimension of the game is the battle between the Human Jukebox of Southern and the World Famed Grambling Tiger Marching Band. These bands put on a show at halftime that is as big as the football game itself. They keep fans in their seats during halftime instead of going to the restroom or to the concession stands.
The Bayou Classic stages all these showcases of the greatness of Southern and Grambling into one culminated event ? the mystical Saturday after Thanksgiving in New Orleans. Win/loss records are irrelevant and the passion of the alumni and supporters is second to none. This intensity has created one of the biggest games in college football as evidenced by the Bayou Classic reaching every home America via a live national broadcast on NBC.
To add additional intrigue to this event, this may be the last Bayou Classic that Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams coaches for his Alma Mater Grambling, as rumors swirl about a potential move to the SEC.
We feel that all of these are valid reasons why ESPN?s College Game Day should be shown live from the Superdome in New Orleans. This game transcends Black College Football. We feel that it is just as big as several Division 1-A rivalries, including Florida vs. Florida State, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, Alabama vs. Auburn, and Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State.
Tradition, passion, rivalry, and excitement are all synonymous with The Bayou Classic. On November 29th, we feel that there will not be another game in the country that can match what will be happening in ?Naw?lin's!?
We encourage ESPN to consider and experience the pageantry of the Bayou Classic ? an event, in which fans travel to New Orleans from the ocean shores of the Pacific, Atlantic and abroad.
Sincerely,
Members of The SWACPage Network Message Board (http://www.swacpage.com/vbulletin/index.php)
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Questions, comments, suggestions?
). Without further adieu, here is what I came up with. I hope you all like it and make sure Nita checks behind me. I'm a good proof reader but I might have missed something.------------------------------------------------------------------
To Whom It May Concern:
There's a war brewing! It?s a battle for honor, respect, pride and a championship. It?s a battle between two tradition rich and nationally ranked football teams. Witnessed by 70,000 loyal fans. This battle pits neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, and brother against brother...AND THIS TIME ITS FOR ALL THE MARBLES!
As diehard college football fans who exhibit great fervor and enthusiasm 365 days a year for both Southern University and Grambling State University, we would like to request that the ESPN committee consider televising ESPN?s College Game Day live from the Bayou Classic at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. As mentioned so eloquently via espn.com on the ?Vote for Best Rivalry? poll, this ?mini Mardi Gras? rivals the biggest party in the World, in addition to the Sugar and Super Bowls in terms of economic impact on the Crescent City.
This rivalry not only fuels some of the most heated feuds among each school's faithful, it also stands as the largest African American social event in the country with 70k fans attending the game and well over 200k in attendance for the weekend?s festivities. Hollywood celebrities are known to attend the Bayou Classic and cheer for these teams even though they have no sworn allegiance to either one.
The match up features arguably one college football?s most storied programs in the Grambling Tigers ? which features four former faces of the ?G-MEN? in Canton, OH as well as five in the College Football Hall of Fame ? including the living legend Eddie Robinson and his prot?g?, Super Bowl MVP and current Grambling coach Doug Williams. The mighty Jaguars of Southern University sport an equally proud tradition as College Football Hall of Famer A.W. Mumford began the Jaguars? legacy of excellence in athletics - from Hall of Famer Mel Blount to future Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams.
This year?s game not only marks the 30th anniversary of this Classic, it also serves as an elimination contest. The winner of the Bayou Classic earns the right to represent the Western Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the SWAC Championship Game on December 13th in Birmingham, Alabama. The game will showcase two nationally ranked D-1AA football teams as well as two players in the hunt for "The Walter Payton Award" which is given to the nation?s top 1-AA performer. Grambling State quarterback Bruce Eugene and Southern University quarterback Quincy Richard (Ree-shard) are both candidates for this prestigious award.
Another dimension of the game is the battle between the Human Jukebox of Southern and the World Famed Grambling Tiger Marching Band. These bands put on a show at halftime that is as big as the football game itself. They keep fans in their seats during halftime instead of going to the restroom or to the concession stands.
The Bayou Classic stages all these showcases of the greatness of Southern and Grambling into one culminated event ? the mystical Saturday after Thanksgiving in New Orleans. Win/loss records are irrelevant and the passion of the alumni and supporters is second to none. This intensity has created one of the biggest games in college football as evidenced by the Bayou Classic reaching every home America via a live national broadcast on NBC.
To add additional intrigue to this event, this may be the last Bayou Classic that Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams coaches for his Alma Mater Grambling, as rumors swirl about a potential move to the SEC.
We feel that all of these are valid reasons why ESPN?s College Game Day should be shown live from the Superdome in New Orleans. This game transcends Black College Football. We feel that it is just as big as several Division 1-A rivalries, including Florida vs. Florida State, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, Alabama vs. Auburn, and Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State.
Tradition, passion, rivalry, and excitement are all synonymous with The Bayou Classic. On November 29th, we feel that there will not be another game in the country that can match what will be happening in ?Naw?lin's!?
We encourage ESPN to consider and experience the pageantry of the Bayou Classic ? an event, in which fans travel to New Orleans from the ocean shores of the Pacific, Atlantic and abroad.
Sincerely,
Members of The SWACPage Network Message Board (http://www.swacpage.com/vbulletin/index.php)
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Questions, comments, suggestions?
