Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alcorn State will meet for the second consecutive season in the 37th annual Southern Heritage Classic on Sept. 12 (6 p.m., HBCU Go). The Golden Lions won last season's meeting 24-20 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Playing in the Southern Heritage Classic is more than just a conference game for the two foes. Both the Braves (1-1) and Golden Lions (1-1) have alumni bases in Memphis and fans from areas not too far away.
Golden Lions coach Alonzo Hampton and Alcorn State coach Cedric Thomas were celebrated at the annual coaches luncheon inside the Renasant Convention Center on Sept. 11.
Hampton reflected on the team's journey back to this event. This will be UAPB's fourth consecutive appearance after having a 1-2 record through
three years.
"It has been amazing," Hampton said. "So we get excited, man. Every year we get a chance to come back. It keeps getting bigger and bigger, and you know you pray for good weather, and hopefully everything works out. But it's fun. I look forward to it. Our players look forward to it. We stay downtown at the Westin, and the band's coming, so it's just really exciting, man, to come back and be able to do this."
This is Alcorn State's second appearance in the Southern Heritage Classic in as many years.
"It's the fabric of the HBCU community, and you and you wear it," Thomas said. "Prideful. You want to be able to continue that lineage and be able to have that slot. Every year, I wish we could come just unlimited from a contractual standpoint. But that's beyond my pay grade. However, just a sense of pride. We want to be able to come and support. Not only the classic but put on a really good product. One people want to invest in."
Each matchup in the SHC's history has its own significance. Outside of the HBCU flavor and Memphis alumni pipelines for each school, UAPB and Alcorn State are conference foes.
"It brings even more importance to the game, right?" Hampton said. "Like because it matters in the standings. It's just not a regular game, and then it's a trophy game. So all those things makes it even more fun for our players, for our coaching staff. It's a lot of competitive people, man. A lot of carryover on both sides. We know a lot of their coaches. Some of their coaches worked here, so it's it's like a family environment. But again, it's like who's gonna win the game. So that's the exciting part of it all."
Hampton has made several trips to Memphis. When he comes in the offseason, the "blues guy" usually takes a trip to Beale Street and immerses himself in the tunes of B.B. King and other artists.
As for this week, he'll get barbecue, but the rest of his time is about preparation.
Things aren't much different for Thomas. He remembers visiting Memphis and going to the Liberty Land amusement park with his family.
This trip is a business one, but he does want his team to understand the history in Memphis. So when Thomas was at the luncheon event, the team was at the National Civil Rights Museum.
"It's huge," Thomas said. "I'm getting a couple takes from the guys. They had never been exposed to it, and just us understanding our history and our lineage, just understanding and just maintaining that. I think that's just huge, just for some of the guys who hadn't been. It just makes it that much better. And the classic is indirectly the reason why."
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Alcorn State, UAPB football coaches said before Southern Heritage Classic, Memphis
