Albany State coach Dan Land recalls playing Fort Valley before Fountain City Classic was born

ALBANY, Ga. -- Albany State coach Dan Land played for the Rams in the late 1980s against Fort Valley State before the matchup was moved to Columbus and named the Fountain City Classic.

Land said back then the game felt like another homecoming game with both teams feeding off the crowd and fighting to protect their respective fields.

He said during his junior year, Albany State hosted the undefeated Wildcats while boasting an 8-1 record. They squared off at Hugh Mills Stadium against a squad that had Greg Lloyd, Eddie Anderson and Darryl Holmes, three players who eventually went on to play in the NFL.

Land scored three touchdowns and rushed for nearly 200 yards to help the Rams win 23-3.

"It was a big time game and (the scouts) ended up watching me more than they were watching them," Land said with a chuckle. "So that was one of the moments when I played that I remember."

Since the Fountain City Classic was born in 1990, the Rams have dominated the series 19-6 including a dramatic 19-10 win last year.

But offensive coordinator Steve Smith recalled the 35-13 loss suffered his first year as an assistant. Before that, the Rams had won seven straight.

"It's always bad when you lose to Fort Valley. You don't want to lose to them and lose the opportunity to be No. 1," he said.

The Rams bounced back and won five of the next six.

Part of what makes the rivalry special, according to Land, is how similar the teams are every year.

Both teams are undefeated in the SIAC East this season and need the win to punch their ticket to the SIAC championship game. Their coaching staffs have worked closely with one another at some point, making it that much more interesting.

"It's always been that relationship where the two teams' coaches are friends and know each other very well," Land said. "You know what they're gonna do and they know what we're gonna do and that's what always made the rivalry special because of the relationship we had between the two teams."

Smith noted that relationship between the two communities always makes for a good game.

"The fan base and the alumni is what makes it what it is," he said. "It's two blue and gold teams, two HBCUs, two close HBCUs, and I think that makes the rivalry. You've got a lot of people from Albany that go to Fort Valley and a lot of people from Fort Valley that go to Albany, so you got that clash of two cities."

-- Chauntel Powell writes for the Albany Herald

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Albany State coach Dan Land recalls playing Fort Valley before Fountain City Classic was born ."