The Southern Heritage Classic presented by FedEx is an annual historically black college football game between the Tigers of Jackson State University and the Tigers of Tennessee State University since 1990. The game is broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast.
The record for attendance, 61,171, was set in 1997. Since the Jackson State-Tennessee State rivalry became a fixture in 1994, the average attendance for a Southern Heritage Classic game is 48,518. Eleven of those 22 games have drawn at least 50,000 fans. Both schools are roughly equidistant from Memphis, being located approximately 200 miles away. The 2001 game was moved from its originally scheduled date of September 15 to November 22 due to the events of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and attendance suffered as a result, drawing only 28,690.
The classic and several festivities affiliated with it annually generates approximately $21 million for the Memphis economy and $325,000 for each university. The game also features two of the most highly acclaimed show bands in the country, with JSU’s Sonic Boom of the South and TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands. They both give high-energy halftime performances that are as popular as the game itself.
Also, the Southern Heritage Classic tailgating experience is a large draw and begins days before the game. Concerts and other events fill up the weekend calendar, drawing fans from all over the country. Past concerts have included headline stars such as Luther Vandross, The O’Jays, Gap Band, Gladys Knight and Usher.