Houston Labor Day Classic.Com

By J. Kenyatta Cavil, THG President & CEO

The annual Labor Day Classic enters its 24th year and features Southwestern Athletic Conference rivals Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University. Outside of the annual gridiron match-up between both institutions, the classic has also become an anticipated event as bragging rights are on the line for families, the marching bands and cheerleaders on Labor Day Weekend.

Moved to the beginning of the football season in 1985, the Labor Day Classic has had its share of memorable moments over the years as the contest has been played in several stadiums across the Houston area and featured a colorful bunch of players and coaches.

The first-ever Labor Day Classic was played in the Astrodome during the 1985 campaign and featured current TSU head coach Johnnie Cole throwing two touchdowns en route to Texas Southern capturing a 19-7 victory over the Panthers. Over 25,000 fans were present to witness the victory and the birth of Houston’s most successful rivalry.

In 1986, Texas Southern claimed a 2-0 margin in the series as the Tigers staged a memorable comeback in the second half to defeat Prairie View on Labor Day night at the Astrodome. One year later, TSU once again came out on top as 19,500 fans made the trek to Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston in a 30-21 win.

Prairie View A&M made series history in 1988 as the Haney Catchings-led Panthers used a 23-yard field goal by Jorge Medina with 1:17 left to claim its first-ever win at Robertson Stadium by a score of 13-10. However, the excitement was short-lived as one year later, new TSU head coach Walter Highsmith arrived in Houston and dismantled the Panthers 45-7.

Beginning in 1990, the classic featured several new faces due to the disbanding of Prairie View A&M’s football program. Texas Southern played host to Hampton University in 1990 and walked out of Robertson Stadium with a 28-16 victory. The following year, NAIA power Central State University traveled to Houston but the result was the same as TSU knocked off the defending NAIA Champions 19-10.

Prairie View, which reinstated football prior to the 1991 season, returned to TSU’s schedule the following weekend on Sept. 7, 1991. Despite losing 19-10, the classic once again returned to normalcy as the Panthers featured a new head coach in Ron Beard. The 1992 edition featured future NFL Hall-of-Famer Michael Strahan suiting up in the classic for one final time. Strahan went out a winner as the Tigers easily disposed of the Panthers 35-0 at Rice Stadium.

While the head coaches and players changed on a consistent basis, one thing that remained constant throughout the 1990s and beginning part of the 2000s was Texas Southern’s dominance in the classic series. After dropping the 1988 match-up to the Panthers, the Tigers reeled off 14 consecutive victories over the Panthers and held ground until the 2004 season when a changing of the guard occurred in both school’s head coach positions.

In 2004, the weight of the classic was lifted off the backs of Prairie View A&M coaches, athletes and fans as first-year head coach Henry Frazier III and staff ushered in a new era with a 25-7 victory over TSU at Reliant Stadium. What made the victory even sweeter for Prairie View A&M at the time was the fact that first-year TSU head coach Steve Wilson served as Frazier’s defensive coordinator at Bowie State University in 2003.

Due to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts at Reliant Park the week of the Labor Day Classic in 2005, the game was moved to Thanksgiving Weekend. For the second consecutive year and first time since 1964, Prairie View A&M had TSU’s number as the Panthers defeated the Tigers in back-to-back seasons.

In 2006, the trophy returned to Houston as Wilson and staff defeated the Panthers in a defensive battle at Reliant Stadium. However, the victory was short-lived as Frazier and staff captured an easy 34-14 win over TSU before a nationally televised audience on ESPNU at Reliant Stadium in 2007.

This year’s edition features a blast from the past as Texas Southern has hired alumnus and former star quarterback Johnnie Cole and area transfer quarterback, Bobby Reid (Houston Touchdown Club’s Offensive Player of the Year and all-Greater Houston, all-District and the district MVP his senior year at North Shore high school) to rebuild the once-proud program. Texas Southern has also hired Prairie View A&M alumnus and former athletic director Charles McClelland in the same capacity.

Prairie View, coming off its best season since 1976, (7-3) returns a solid nucleus of players, including senior quarterback, Mark Spivey and SWAC Defensive Player of Year, linebacker Zack East (2007 American Football Coaches Association FCS All-American) and a hungry head coach in Henry Frazier.

The 2008 Labor Day Classic follows a Spring, May 19, SWAC Baseball Tournament Championship game between the rivals, decided with a 5 run 8th inning comeback win by Texas Southern, 12-11.

THE LABOR DAY CLASSIC SERIES