Ohio Classic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ohio Classic is a college football game played annually between two teams from historically black universities.

The Ohio Classic is held before the start of each college football season and used to rotate between Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland and Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. In September 2005, organizers selected Cleveland as a permanent location.

The Ohio Classic is held over a weekend, with the game itself played on the Saturday. Concerts, educational events and other attractions highlight the Ohio Classic Weekend. The Ohio Classic's flagship program is called the "End Zone Club", a year-round education program for students in grades 7 through 12. Participants in the program are dubbed Community Quarterbacks, to reaffirm the expectation of personal leadership. End Zone Club criteria includes proficiency, as well as ACT & SAT test tutoring. Community Quarterbacks receive instruction about scheduling college preparatory courses, completing financial aid and college admissions forms.

Hosted by World-Class Events Management, the Ohio Classic had its inaugural year in 2003, when more than 45,000 fans attended the event in Cleveland.

On March 17, 2006, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the year's Ohio Classic has been cancelled due to mounting debt and a lack of sponsorship.[1]