It’s difficult to be around the Las Vegas Raiders and not hear about tradition. The franchise has won three Super Bowls since 1976, spanning a time when it once had California residencies in Oakland and Los Angeles.
The franchise would like to start a new tradition tying into its past of highlighting diversity, starting with Saturday’s Las Vegas HBCU Classic, a college football matchup pitting Jackson State and Grambling State at Allegiant Stadium.
Why would the Raiders attach themselves to this game? It’s a part of the legacy of late owner Al Davis. The Raiders have had more than 80 players from HBCUs come through the program, including Hall of Famers Willie Brown (Grambling), Art Shell (Maryland State) and Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State).
The Raiders also hope to start a tradition of hosting an annual HBCU game on the West Coast. Beyond Saturday’s football game, the Raiders want to bring added HBCU culture to the weekend, including the schools’ bands and various events to welcome alumni from Jackson State, Grambling and all other HBCUs.
“When our president, Sandra Douglass Morgan, approached (Raiders owner) Mark Davis, she couldn’t even finish her sentence, and he said, ‘Let’s get it done,’” said Piper Overstreet-White, senior vice president of government and community relations for the Raiders. “Hosting this classic is a continuation of a legacy that Al Davis started.”
Grambling and Jackson State are traditional powers from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Grambling has won 25 SWAC championships, the most in conference history. Jackson State has 19 SWAC titles and ended last season with a victory over South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl, the de facto Black college football championship.
The Raiders already have a connection with Grambling and their late legendary coach, Eddie Robinson, through the Al Davis-Eddie Robinson Leadership Academy, which aims to develop minority coaching and general manager candidates in the NFL.
Robinson was Grambling’s coach for 55 years, compiling a 408-165-8 record and nine Black national championships. His wins are third most in all of college football coaching history. Robinson, who died in 2007, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
“History tells us that Al Davis and coach Robinson were great friends,” Grambling athletic director Dr. Trayvean Scott said. “It’s been great working with the Raiders organization, with the upper management of the Raiders and the promotions team.”
HBCU football received more mainstream attention when Deion Sanders coached at Jackson State from 2020 to 2022. 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter played his first two seasons at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado when Sanders accepted the coaching job in Boulder. Additionally, one of Jackson State’s most well-known alums is the great Walter Payton.
Brown, former NFL tight end Andrew Glover and former NFL cornerback Albert Lewis are among the Grambling alums who once played for the Raiders. Jackson State also has its share of ties to the Raiders, most notably Hall of Fame offensive lineman Jackie Slater, who was an offensive line coach for the team in 2006.
The Oakland Raiders made history in 1968 when they selected Tennessee State quarterback Eldridge Dickey in the first round of the NFL/AFL Draft. Dickey became the league’s first Black quarterback selected in the first round, though he was moved to wide receiver for the season.
Beyond football, Grambling and Jackson State want to use the weekend to promote their academic brands and cultures in an effort to recruit students. The hope is the environment in and surrounding Allegiant Stadium provides a glimpse of an HBCU game day experience, from the tailgating vibes to the halftime band performances.
Grambling’s “World Famed Tiger Marching Band” and Jackson State’s “Sonic Boom of the South” will perform Friday at a pep rally on Las Vegas’ Fremont Street as part of the weekend.
“It’s very huge for both brands. I think it’s a big marketing tool,” Jackson State athletic director Ashley Robinson said. “It’s a time people can see what HBCUs are all about, just the weekend itself, and I’m hoping it’s something that we can build on and continue to do on a year-to-year basis.”
Scott emphasized that though the football programs will compete on the field, making the weekend a success is a collective effort from both universities, the SWAC office, the Raiders and the city of Las Vegas. The Raiders have been promoting the game heavily during their NFL games this season, in addition to working with the schools and the city.
“One day, it’s not gonna be about Grambling and Jackson. One day, it’s gonna be about two other institutions,” Scott said. “We cheer each other on. We work collectively to make sure that we move our league forward in the best possible position. … It’s been beautiful to say the least.”
Overstreet-White said the planning for the weekend has been in the works for about a year. But this isn’t the first time an HBCU classic has been held in the Pacific time zone. Most recently, the Angel City Classic took place in 2007, attempting to revive the tradition of HBCUs playing in Los Angeles with a game between North Carolina A&T and Prairie View A&M.
Las Vegas had a Las Vegas Classic in 2003 featuring Southern and North Carolina A&T. The Silver Dollar Classic featuring Grambling and Tennessee State took place in 2002 in Carson, Calif.
Having the Raiders as a partner could help keep the Las Vegas Classic going. The Raiders are interested in remaining a partner by hosting the game at Allegiant.
Robinson said the Raiders and the city of Las Vegas have been supportive in promoting the game.
“This is something that we really can build on,” Robinson said. “The West Coast is seeing HBCUs and seeing what we do and seeing those two national brands come in, so it’s very, very important.
“Not often do we get that big-time support, but when you got that type of support behind you, both institutions, our conference office, we have to make sure that we do a good job on our part to make sure that we are doing the things in the city of Las Vegas and for the Raiders so they can say, ‘Hey, this is a great investment, and we want to make sure we continue this investment.’”
Overstreet-White is a graduate of an HBCU, Hampton University. She said she couldn’t be happier working for the Raiders at this time, as it gives her the opportunity to help put HBCUs on a larger stage.
“There is certainly an entwined legacy with HBCUs and the Raiders,” she said. “But it’s just a forward-leaning sort of stance on diversity and social justice issues that I’m just really proud to wear the silver and black.”
