The Florida Beach Bowl, a postseason college football game featuring teams from two Historically Black College and University (HBCU) conferences, will not be held in 2024, sources confirmed. The bowl, which sought to build on the success of its inaugural game, struggled with funding issues.
The post-season game which launched last year, matched teams from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Both teams selected for the game were required to have at least six wins, the minimum number needed to qualify, and could play up to 11 games in the regular season.
The first Florida Beach Bowl was held on Dec. 13, 2023, at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The game was streamed on the HBCU Plus platform, which garnered over 720,000 viewers. The contest featured Fort Valley State (FVSU) of the SIAC and Johnson C. Smith (JCSU)of the CIAA, with FVSU winning 23-10.
Several teams in the SIAC, including Miles College (7-2), Fort Valley State (6-3), and Clark Atlanta (6-2-1), were in contention for this year’s game, while the CIAA had a fierce battle between Johnson C. Smith (8-1) and Virginia Union (7-2) for the top spot
The cancellation of the 2024 Florida Beach Bowl is a blow to fans who hoped the game could become a long-term successor to the Pioneer Bowl, which for years was the premier postseason game for HBCU Division II teams. The Pioneer Bowl, established in 1997, gave HBCU teams a rare opportunity for a postseason appearance and helped increase visibility for players often overlooked by the larger college football media landscape.
JCSU had a standout season in 2023, finishing 7-3, the best record for the school since 2006. That year, JCSU also represented the CIAA in the Pioneer Bowl but lost to Tuskegee University, 17-7. FVSU also ended the season with a 7-3 record, bouncing back from a close 37-31 loss to Tuskegee in the 2023 Red Tails Classic to win five straight games, four of them by double-digit margins.
In last year's game quarterback Kelvin Durham of FVSU was named MVP after throwing for 167 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Dejuan Bell for a 42-yard pass on the game’s opening drive, then found Brandon Marshall for a 2-yard touchdown to give FVSU a 7-0 lead.
Marshall added a second touchdown before halftime on a 9-yard reception, making it 16-0. Durham later hit Jaren Lawson for an 84-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 23-3.
JCSU scored once more in the third quarter, but FVSUs defense held strong, limiting the Golden Bulls to 150 total yards. Marshall finished with 65 rushing yards, and Bell had 51 receiving yards. FVSU finished with 251 total yards. Head coach Shawn Gibbs improved to 16-5 in his second season with the program.
The Pioneer Bowl, the first bowl game to feature SIAC and CIAA teams, was traditionally played in the South, often in Atlanta, Georgia. The game was a celebration of HBCU football and its student-athletes. However, financial and logistical difficulties led to the cancellation of the game after 2012, with the SIAC winning nine of the 14 matchups and the CIAA winning five. The first-ever Pioneer Bowl in 1997 saw Kentucky State defeat Livingstone College 30-26 at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta.
With both the Florida Beach Bowl and Pioneer Bowl now on hiatus, questions loom over the future of HBCU Division II football. The lack of televised postseason matchups and national exposure may further hinder the ability of HBCU teams to secure sponsorship and funding for future games.
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