Florida A&M football's participation in the upcoming Orange Blossom Classic will be its last. FAMU has declined a three-year invitation to continue participating in the game, per Rattler Nation.
An email obtained by Rattler Nation says FAMU turned down a three-year, $1.475 million offer. The offer included $450,000 in 2024, $500,000 in 2025, and $525,000 in 2026. This decision upset many Rattler fans who were hoping for the guaranteed payday and exposure that comes with participating in the Classic.
However, FAMU Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes believes that foregoing participation in the OBC is in the best interest of the University. In a statement obtained by HBCU Gameday contributor Vaughn Wilson, Sykes said, “We have a responsibility to our season ticket holders, Investing in Champions members, and local partners to bring a minimum of five to six home games to Tallahassee annually.”
The Orange Blossom Classic, which began in 1933, concluded its 44-year run in 1978 before being revived in the 2021 season. The revival featured the then-Deion Sanders-led Jackson State Tigers and a FAMU team that had just transitioned to the SWAC after 40 years in the MEAC. FAMU has competed in the Orange Blossom Classic 48 times and holds a 26-21-1 record. The revival of the Orange Blossom Classic has taken place in Week 1 of the past two seasons and has been broadcasted on ESPN, drawing a viewership audience of 700,000 in 2021 and 950,000 in 2022.
Florida A&M football is scheduled to kick off the 2024 season in Week 0, facing off against Norfolk State University in the MEAC-SWAC challenge in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, Aug. 24. FAMU will then play against the University of Miami and Troy before a bye week. FAMU is also set to face the MEAC's South Carolina State Bulldogs, tentatively scheduled for Aug. 31, 2024.
Sykes told Vaughn Wilson that participating in the Orange Blossom Classic would push FAMU's first home game to Week 6 of the season, and she cannot support that decision.
“For our season ticket holders to buy season tickets and parking and other amenities and not be able to use any of them until week 6 is not fair to our current investors and makes it difficult to cultivate new investors.”
The Rattlers will begin the 2023 season by making their 49th appearance in the Orange Blossom Classic, playing against the reigning SWAC Champions Jackson State on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
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