Inaugural HBCU Classic at Allegiant Stadium unites football, legacy and Black excellence

In weeks, the city of bright lights will be overtaken by unapologetic Black culture. This stems from the soul food being served at tailgates, to the stunning fashion choices at parades and galas and the boisterous sounds coming from brass instruments and drums.

Las Vegas has already seen a sneak peak of Grambling’s “World Famed Tiger Marching Band” from their halftime performance during the Raiders’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.

Raiders Alumni Andrew Glover and Toby Myles are also alumni of these two respective universities, with their fondest memories going deeper than the gridiron.

The Raiders and Grambling State have history dating back to acquiring their former cornerback Willie Brown from the Denver Broncos, who ultimately became a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback for the Silver and Black. Glover, a former tight end, was a three-sport athlete at Grambling State, recruited by College Football Hall of Fame Coach Robinson and was later drafted by the Raiders in 1991.

He believes a lot of the pomp and circumstances now seen in the NFL originates from the HBCU gameday atmosphere.

“I think a lot of those individuals went to those games and they got a lot of ideas, specifically with the dancers and the entertainment and the big band,” Glover said. “And we used to push the ball down the field a lot. The long passes and the excitement of the game overall. I think the AFL noticed it first and the NFL followed.”

“It’s part of our brand. It’s what we do,” Glover added. “We go in and we impact the people, we impact the culture, we impact the crowd.”

Myles, a former offensive tackle, transferred to Jackson State as an upperclassman after going away to play at Power-Five program Mississippi State. As a Jackson, Mississippi, native, he described the decision as a homecoming in more ways than one.

“Just really a family mentality, lot of soul involved,” Myles said. “We put our special thing on everything we do as far as football, the music, Greek life. It was just a great experience for me going to a HBCU.

“It was really just an electric atmosphere. It was almost like it was a game going on, but it was a party at the same time. It’s a scene that you can’t hardly duplicate. Just seeing it is believing it.”