FAMU, B-CU athletic directors preview the 2025 Florida Classic
Kickoff is scheduled to take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m.
THE COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF IS ON THE OFFICIAL START OF THE 45TH FLORIDA BLUE. FLORIDA CLASSIC IS JUST ONE DAY AWAY. CAMPING WORLD STADIUM IS EXPECTED TO BE FILLED WITH ROUGHLY 60,000 FANS. RIGHT NOW, WE’RE TAKING A LIVE LOOK THERE. NOW PEOPLE WILL CHEER FROM FOR EITHER BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS OR FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY RATTLERS, BUT THE EXCITEMENT ISN’T JUST HAPPENING INSIDE THE STADIUM. CHRISTINA. OH, NO. ALAN. THOUSANDS ARE GOING TO BE OUTSIDE FELLOWSHIPPING, TAILGATING, DANCING, HAVING A GOOD TIME THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AT LAKE LORNA DOONE PARK, TINKER FIELD AND WELL BEYOND. YOU KNOW, FLORIDA CLASSIC IS THE NATION’S BIGGEST GAME BETWEEN TWO HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. IT’S LIKE A BIG OLD FAMILY REUNION. IT’S BEEN ONE OF MY FAVES SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL. AND WHAT’S A REUNION WITHOUT A LITTLE FRIENDLY RIVALRY, WHICH IS ALREADY STARTED OFF CAMERA HERE AT THE STUDIO? JOINING US THIS MORNING, AND WE ARE SO HONORED TO HAVE BOTH OF THE ATHLETIC DIRECTORS FROM BOTH UNIVERSITIES, REGGIE DIAZ FROM BCU, MICHAEL SMITH FROM FAMU. THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN, FOR BEING HERE. IT’S A PLEASURE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. LET’S GET THINGS STARTED RIGHT NOW. LET’S TAKE A LOOK BACK. THE VERY FIRST MATCHUP BETWEEN FLORIDA A&M AND BCU HAPPENED 100 YEARS AGO. THAT HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 10TH, 1925. IT WAS ACTUALLY IN TALLAHASSEE. THAT YOU WON THAT GAME. I GOT TO ASK YOU, WHAT MAKES THIS RIVALRY SO HISTORIC AND SO SPECIAL. RIGHT. WELL, AS YOU SAID EARLIER, ALL THE PAGEANTRY, ALL THE LOVE BETWEEN BOTH UNIVERSITIES AND HATE BETWEEN BOTH UNIVERSITIES, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT MAKES A STATEMENT TO THE TO THE COUNTRY ABOUT HOW TWO TEAMS COME TOGETHER, TWO SCHOOLS COME TOGETHER FOR A PURPOSE, AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS GAME COMING UP THIS WEEKEND. AND I WANTED MIKE TO ANSWER THAT BECAUSE HE’S PLAYING THAT GAME. BY THE WAY, 100 YEARS AGO. YOU SEE FRIENDLY RIVALRY. YEAH. NO IT’S GREAT. AND YOU KNOW WE OWN THE GAME. SO ALL THE PROCEEDS EVERYTHING THAT GOES TO SPONSORSHIP, THEY GO TO BOTH SCHOOLS. SO WE MAKE A LOT OF MONEY OUT OF THAT. YEAH. IT’S SUCH A HUGE DEAL ON AND OFF THE FIELD. WE KNOW WHEN IT COMES TO RECORDS OF COURSE THIS GAME MEANS A LOT. FAM, YOU IS NOW LEADING THE ALL TIME MEANS MORE FAM MEANS MORE. SO I WANT YOU TO ANSWER THAT COACH. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND YOU LOOK AT THE RECORD, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? YOU KNOW, BEING AN OLD GUY, I, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN ALWAYS SAY I CAN GOOGLE IT IF YOU WANT ME TO, YOU KNOW. BUT ALL I CARE ABOUT IS TOMORROW. REALLY. BUT I THINK OVER THE YEARS FAM HAS HAD SUCH A FANTASTIC PROGRAM IN GENERAL. BUT WHAT’S BEEN GREAT IS THAT WE’VE HAD YEARS WHERE WE, BETHUNE-COOKMAN WON NINE GAMES NINE YEARS IN A ROW. SO AND THEN ONE GAME FAM WAS UP BY, YOU KNOW, 1015 POINTS AND COOKMAN CAME BACK AND WON THE GAME. SO THERE’S ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, THINGS GOING ON. AND AND RIVAL GAMES. YOU CAN’T LOOK AT THE RECORD. YOU CAN’T THINK ABOUT THE TEAMS. IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT NIGHT. RIGHT? RIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SCORES BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT. VCU TAKES THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST SCORING IN THE CLASSIC. THIS HAPPENED BACK IN 2011. FINAL SCORE HERE 58 TO 52 IN OVERTIME. THAT WAS A GOOD ONE. YEAH YEAH IT’S A TREMENDOUS YOU KNOW IT’S ALL ABOUT SCORING IN TODAY’S WORLD FOR SURE BECAUSE EVERYBODY WATCHES EVERYTHING ON THEIR PHONE YOU KNOW. SO SCORING IS BIG. BOTH TEAMS FOCUSED TOMORROW NIGHT ON OFFENSE MORE SO THAN DEFENSE. CAN WE EXPECT ANOTHER HIGH SCORING GAME. WE’RE FOCUSED ON HAVING ONE MORE POINT THAN THEY DO. OH OKAY. GO. YEAH. DEFENSE. YOU GOT TO HAVE DEFENSE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND IN THE END IF YOUR OFFENSE IS BETTER THAN THEIR OFFENSE YOU USUALLY WIN THE GAME. THERE YOU GO. WELL WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS ON THE FIELD. LET’S TALK OFF THE FIELD. WE KNOW THIS IS A SMALL PART AT LEAST THE CLASSIC IS A SMALL PART OF A YEAR ROUND EFFORT. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COACHING AND THE INCREDIBLE ATHLETICISM FOR BOTH PROGRAMS. WELL, YOU KNOW FOR ME IT’S IT’S IT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US ALL TO GET TOGETHER BECAUSE WE WE BATTLE ON THE COURT. WE BATTLE ON THE FIELD. BUT WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER IT’S ALL FAMILY. AND MIKE AND I HAVE JUST A PHENOMENAL RELATIONSHIP. HE’S MY LITTLE BUDDY, BY THE WAY. YEAH. IF I PUT MY HAND BACK HERE, I CAN MAKE HIM TALK. SO. DON’T FALL. BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THE WORK THAT GOES INTO THIS, YOU KNOW, IT BRINGS OVER $30 MILLION TO THE ORLANDO AREA. IT’S JUST A PHENOMENAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL. RIGHT. AND I JUST THINK THE GAME IS A MICROCOSM TO THE BIGGER PICTURE, AS REGGIE SAID. AND SO WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. OUR COACHING STAFF, OUR STUDENT ATHLETES, THEY’RE ALL READY FOR TOMORROW. THEY’VE BEEN GETTING READY ALL WEEK AND SO WE’LL LET TOMORROW HAPPEN. BUT THE OTHER PART OF IT IS THAT ALL OF THE FANS AND EVERYBODY THAT COMES IN, THEY MAKE IT SPECIAL. AND SO WE HOPE THAT TOMORROW WILL BE A SPECIAL GAME AND A SPECIAL TIME FOR EVERYONE. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS. YOU KNOW IT’S ANY EXCUSE TO HAVE A PICNIC. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY ANY EXCUSE TO HAVE A BARBECUE, RIGHT? YEAH. WE’RE THERE. YEAH. REAL QUICKLY BEFORE WE GET TO TOMORROW’S EVENT, LET’S GET THE COMPETITION STARTED RIGHT NOW. LET’S HAVE IT QUICKLY. A GAME OF PAPER, ROCK, SCISSORS RIGHT NOW. LET’S SEE WHO’S GOING TO TAKE THE EARLY ONE. NOTHING LEAD. LET’S GO AT THE SAME TIME, RIGHT. YEAH. LET’S GO. HERE WE GO. ROCK, PAPER SCISSORS. SHOO! OH. THAT WAS. LET’S DO IT AGAIN. YEAH. READY? ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. SHOOT! OH, OKAY. ALL RIGHT. HOT THE SCISSORS. THAT’S RIGHT. YEAH. WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. IT’S GOING DOWN. ROCK. ALWAYS. THAT’S HIS VERSION. OH, MIKE. REGGIE. THANK YOU BOTH SO SO SO MUCH. IT’S GOING TO BE AN INCREDIBLE TIME. AND WE CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THAT GAME I WILL BE THEIR HALFTIME SHOW IS ALWAYS WHAT WE’
FAMU, B-CU athletic directors preview the 2025 Florida Classic
Kickoff is scheduled to take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m.
Updated: 9:44 AM EST Nov 21, 2025
The 2025 Florida Blue Florida Classic will mark 100 years of matchups between the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats and Florida A&M University Rattlers.Kickoff for the beloved rivalry game is scheduled to take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m.The athletic directors from both schools join WESH 2 to discuss the history and impact of the nation’s largest football game between two historically Black colleges and universities. The Florida Classic is owned and operated by its participating teams, with all ticket sales directly benefitting the universities. Click here to learn more.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
The 2025 Florida Blue Florida Classic will mark 100 years of matchups between the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats and Florida A&M University Rattlers.
Kickoff for the beloved rivalry game is scheduled to take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m.
The athletic directors from both schools join WESH 2 to discuss the history and impact of the nation’s largest football game between two historically Black colleges and universities.
The Florida Classic is owned and operated by its participating teams, with all ticket sales directly benefitting the universities.
Click here to learn more.