One of the most coveted relics associated with Black College Football's greatest rivalry will depart the Southern University campus and take permanent residence in our nation's capital.
The historic Bayou Classic trophy, which has been presented to the winner of the football game annually for more than 25 years and retired at the conclusion of the 41st Annual event last November, has been donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to be part of the museum's foundational collection.
After being housed on the Southern Baton Rouge campus since the 2014 game, the trophy will be presented to the Smithsonian Institute to become a permanent display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture set to open next year.
Representatives of the Smithsonian Institute will accept the artifact from representatives of Southern and Grambling at 2 p.m. as it departs for its new permanent home in Washington, DC. University administrators, football coaches and players, and alumni will be on hand at the A.W. Mumford Fieldhouse to bid farewell to the iconic statue.
The Bayou Classic trophy will go into the museum's growing collection and be a part of the opening exhibitions in the new building to further the purpose of showcasing and preserving artifacts, documents, and art that reflect the history and development of the African-American experience in its many aspects.
