Labor Day Classic
The Labor Day Classic is an annual American football "classic" which features Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, two of Texas' largest historically black universities on Labor Day weekend. It is played at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston or in the in Prairie View, Texas, depending on the hosting team. The classic is always the first matchup between two SWAC teams of the football season.
The first game between the two schools was in 1946. However, the classic began in 1985. In 1990, Texas Southern played and defeated the Hampton University Pirates since Prairie View A&M did not field a football team that year.
The schools compete for the Durley-Nicks Trophy named after the two most legendary coaches from both schools. Alexander Durley is the winningest head football coach in Texas Southern football history. Billy Nicks, Sr. won five mythical black college national championships as head coach at Prairie View A&M.
The classic is accompanied by a fellowship luncheon/press conference hosted by The Touchdown Club of Houston, a golf tournament, pep rallies, tailgating, various social mixers, and a highly anticipated battle of the bands on Friday and Saturday night between Texas Southern's Ocean of Soul and Prairie View's Marching Storm.
The 2017 Labor Day Classic was postponed because of the effects of Hurricane Harvey. The game was moved to the end of the season, joining two other games featuring SWAC teams, the Turkey Day Classic and Bayou Classic, on Thanksgiving weekend.
The 2018 Labor Day Classic was postponed to the final game of the regular season. Prairie View A&M played in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta, GA on Labor Day Weekend.History
