By Johnette Jernigan

The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission kicked off The Second Annual Cleveland Classic football game on Sept. 15 at Cleveland Browns Stadium with Winston-Salem State University Rams defeating Morehouse College Maroon Tigers 55 to 21.

The Cleveland Classic highlights historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), some 80 of which exist in the United States.

The halftime show featured the marching bands from Morehouse College and Winston-Salem University, and Shaw High School, under the direction DeVon Wilson that stole the show.

Both Winston-Salem and Morehouse performed tributes to the late pop singer Whitney Houston while the Shaw High School Marching Band, under the direction of DeVon Wilson, did a medley of oldies but goodies, including popular hits like Cameo’s, ‘Word Up,’ and ‘Just Got Paid,’ by Johnny Kemp.

Sponsors of the event include McDonald’s, Key Bank, University Hospitals, The Call and Post newspaper, The US Marine Corps and the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers professional sports teams.

The Cleveland Classic Greek Step Show drew an array of people to the Quicken Loans arena the night before the football game.  HBCU classic football games began in 1924 when Alabama State University and Tuskegee Institute met in the Turkey Day Classic in Montgomery, Alabama.

Today, HBCU classics often outdraw homecoming as the most well attended event on a school’s football schedule.