Black College Football's Vagabond Rivalry Made Another Stop on Saturday

HBCU football took place at Ford Field for the first time since 2006. Kentucky State defeated Central State in the fourth Detroit Football Classic in front of 1200 fans. Kentucky State prevailed 34-24 thanks to 302 passing yards from Denim Johnson and Torrance Bardell. Although this was the first meeting in the series in Detroit, it was another stop for one of college football’s most well-traveled rivalries. Dating back to Central State’s shared football history with Wilberforce University, the Kentucky State-Central State rivalry has always been on the move.

In 1947, Wilberforce and Kentucky State played in front of 8,000 fans at League Park, the former home of the Cleveland Indians. Andy Bibbs scored a pair of touchdowns in a 34-6 win for Wilberforce. The rivalry stayed on campus until 1991, when Central State and Kentucky State played in front of 5,500 fans at Cooper Stadium, the home of the Columbus Clippers. Central State embarrassed Kentucky State 77-0 and held the Thoroughbreds to 64 yards of offense.

In 2005, the rivalry ventured to Lexington’s Paul Dunbar Stadium. This time, Kentucky State took both games. In 2005, they shut out the Marauders 28-0. The following year, at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium, the home of the 1961 Aviation Bowl, the Thoroughbreds won 30-27 despite allowing 363 rushing yards.

Central State got its revenge the following year at the University of Kentucky’s Lexington Stadium with a 41-14 win. Six Kentucky State turnovers and 170 yards from Central State’s Derrick Moss were too much for the Thoroughbreds to overcome. In 2011, the rivalry returned to Dayton, with 6,539 fans watching Kentucky State defeat Central State 39-21.

The most prominent neutral site for the rivalry was Indianapolis. The two schools played in the Circle City Classic for an unprecedented four years in a row from 2014-2017. Kentucky State won all four meetings. The four meetings averaged a respectable 22,803 fans per game.

Saturday’s Detroit Football Classic may have been a footnote to most of the country, but it continued a long tradition of playing in some of baseball and college football’s most reputable venues.

Mark Pollak’s book, The Playing Grounds of College Football: A Comprehensive Directory, 1869 to Today, guided my research and is the perfect book for any college football fan.