Luncheon sets stage for the Tuskegee-Morehouse rivalry's 80th game in Columbus

Being a head football coach can be a stressful job, especially during the week that your team faces its biggest rival. So the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic committee wanted to make sure that the coaches would be relaxed Wednesday even if it was just for a little while.

The two coaches were in Columbus on Wednesday for the annual news conference and luncheon that precedes the classic, which will take place Saturday.

In addition to the meal, the two coaches, Morehouse's Rich Freeman and Tuskegee's Willie Slater received massages from two students from Miller-Mott Technical College.

The massages took place as coaches and student-athletes from 14 high schools were introduced to the crowd. In all, more than 60 local high school football players were in attendance at the Columbus Museum.

"I would have loved to have been out here while all these great athletes were introduced, but my head was face down on a table," Freeman said. "We need some local talent from Columbus, which is a hot bed for great football players."

Slater also acknowledged the players in the crowd and sent his thanks to the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic Committee.

"To be standing here in front of all these great student-athletes and coaches, I am really humbled," he said. "This is the best turnout that I have seen in 10 years and that

speaks to all the hard work and effort that the committee does all year long."

The city of Columbus is home to the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic for the 80th time this week. While the game isn't until Saturday, you could easily feel the magnitude of the 108-year old rivalry in the room. Whether it was a little jab here or joke there, each side was going to get their voices heard.

But in the end, mutual respect and tradition is what really makes this rivalry so great.

"Tuskegee is by far one of the top HBCU football programs in the country and has been so for a while," Freeman said, "and this rivalry is THE rivalry in the HBCU football landscape."

On the other side, Slater responded with a three-word answer when asked how important Saturday's game was.

"It is Morehouse," Slater said. "I really don't have a better answer than that."

Also in attendance were representatives from the Columbus and Phenix City local governments to welcome each side to Columbus.

"We would officially like to welcome everyone to the city of Columbus to the 80th Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic," Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley said.

"This is such a wonderful event, not only for the institutions, but also for this great city. As a member of this community, I would like to express that we don't take this relationship lightly. This game means a great deal to many people."

Hugley thanked everyone that helped keep the game in the city of Columbus over the years, including the late A.J. McClung, a former Columbus city councilman and mayor pro-tem.

"I would be remiss if I didn't recognize A.J. McClung on this 80th classic," Hugley said. "He worked countless hours on this great event and we owe him a lot of gratitude."

The Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic will kickoff at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

TICKETS AVAILABLE

Tickets for Saturday's game are available in Columbus at the following places:

Civic Center, 400 Fourth St., 706-653-4460

The Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic Office, 1170 Brown Ave., Suite C, 706-322-5983

Ace Hardware, 3863 St. Mary's Road, 706-689-4228

Wild Bills Party Shop, 3434 Buena Vista Road, 706-687-0723

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Luncheon sets stage for the Tuskegee-Morehouse rivalry's 80th game in Columbus ."