The ol' college try: CIAA, SIAC unveil another bowl game

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

The CIAA and SIAC have partnered to launch the Florida Beach Bowl, a postseason showcase in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, starting in December 2024. Qualifying teams must tally at least six wins.

Eleven years have passed since the CIAA and SIAC met in a bowl game for bragging rights between the two HBCU conferences.

The Pioneer Bowl was created in 1972 but revamped in 1997 to feature the best available CIAA and SIAC teams. From 1997-2012, the SIAC went 9-5 in the series, with Tuskegee winning seven of the nine. But the CIAA did win the final two matchups.

As I wrote in a column last September about relaunching the Pioneer Bowl, the two conferences have an intense rivalry that the commissioners try to downplay, to no avail. The PB folded mainly due to low sponsorships and even lower fan interest. But HBCU sports is the golden child right now, so the two conferences are at it again.

The new name is the Florida Beach Bowl, to be played in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Dec. 13, 2024. At least they had the good sense to put the bowl in a warm weather climate that might get more people to attend.
And, just like the Pioneer Bowl, the game will pit two OF the best teams against each other – not necessarily THE best teams. The conference champions will be hoping for a DII playoff berth and, if that happens, the second-best teams will represent the leagues.

“We are continuously evaluating ways to improve the CIAA experience for our student-athletes, alumni, and fans. Adding new components like Florida Beach Bowl creates yet another opportunity for collaboration for our HBCU conferences,” Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams-Parker said. “We’re thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Florida Beach Bowl featuring two perennial HBCU conferences. This opportunity is a long time coming for their first postseason matchup in nearly three decades.”

Festivities leading up to the game include a celebrity golf tournament, 5K run, prayer breakfast, media day, coaches’ luncheon and a fan festival on game day. The bowl was scheduled on a Wednesday so as not to compete against the bigger bowl games in December. The Cricket Celebration Bowl is Dec. 16 in Atlanta.

Still the Real HU

Howard fans and players had to be chomping at the bit. A day before the annual “Battle of the Real HU” featuring the Bison and hated rival Hampton, Hampton Athletic Director Anthony Henderson issued a letter to the community apologizing that multiple student-athletes had been declared academically ineligible.

“Until all requirements are met, affected student-athletes must be withheld from competing in their respective sports,” Henderson wrote.

Henderson didn’t list the student-athletes by sport, but judging from social media reports, a significant number were on the football team. Hampton had a six-game winning streak over Howard, but the Bison were the big favorite.

And, for three quarters, it was all Howard, which led 31-14 in the third quarter and 34-21 early in the fourth.

Then the bottom fell out. Hampton scored 14 straight points for the 35-34 win to extend its streak to seven games.

All the rivalry talk has been about Colorado State at Colorado, and I quite understand. I stayed up and watched every thrilling second. But HBCU sports rivalries can compete with anybody. That second-half battle for the real HU was as good as it gets – without the sunglasses.

Bonitta Best is sports editor at The Triangle Tribune in Durham.

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