The Commemorative Classic: Johnson C. Smith vs Livingstone

The Commemorative Classic 

Johnson C. Smith vs Livingstone 

By Denis M. Crawford, College Football Hall of Fame Historian 

HBCU rivalries and bowls aren’t just games, they are classics! Fierce competition between the teams on the field is almost equaled by the Battles of the Bands. The parking lots before the game are filled with family and class reunions, homecoming-style festivities, and a block party atmosphere. The College Football Hall of Fame HBCU exhibit features details on 20 such contests, from the Labor Day Classic to the end-of-season Bayou Classic. The exhibit celebrates these exciting rites of football tradition. But only one Classic can truly be the original, and that is the appropriately named Commemorative Classic between Johnson C. Smith and Livingstone who meet again on November 7.  

Johnson C. Smith of Charlotte, NC was known as Biddle University until 1923, and they first started to play football informally in 1890. After two years of intramural play, Biddle wanted to play outside competition. Biddle player Charles Shute was friends with Livingstone College student William Trent and knew the Salisbury-based school had just started a football program in 1892. Because the two schools were only about 40 miles apart, many of the players on both teams were friends in the same manner as Shute and Trent. A challenge was made for the teams to meet in Salisbury during the Christmas holidays.  

The players on both sides were excited about the prospect of competition and worked to create brand new uniforms for the game. According to an article in the Charlotte Observer, Biddle players transformed their everyday clothes into a uniform by sewing in rudimentary padding and adding removable cleats to their regular shoes. Wearing “street clothes” and shoes during a football game was a common practice in late nineteenth century football. While Biddle made their own unis, Livingstone players were treated to togs created by the women of the Industrial Department at the school out of ducking cloth. The heavy-duty canvas material used became a more standard material for college football teams over the next decade. The Livingstone players even chipped in to purchase a new football from Spalding, which was more egg shaped than what modern fans are used to.  

The First Game 

Players and students woke up the morning of December 27 to discover a steady snow fall had begun to blanket the campus and the cow pasture the game would be played on. The Biddle players arrived by train, and the contest began as the snow continued to pile up inch-by-inch.  

Like many football games played in the early 1890s, there was scant press coverage of the action. Most game summaries included just last names, so many of the participants have been lost to time. Also lost is the name of the player who scored the first touchdown in HBCU history. The first half rushing touchdown put Biddle up 4-0, as touchdowns were only worth 4 points in 1892. What has become known is that the game was not without some controversy.  

In the second half, a Biddle player fumbled and Livingstone’s William Trent scooped up the ball and scored what should have been the game-tying touchdown. However, the referee determined the Biddle player had been out of bounds when he fumbled and disallowed the touchdown. Some Livingstone players were incredulous because the entire field was blanketed in snow, so it was a “guesstimate” by the referee where the boundary was.  

The game ended with Biddle winning 4-0, or 5-0 in some press accounts. With snow continuing to fall, the Biddle players were invited to stay on the Livingstone campus overnight to wait out the storm, a level of sportsmanship that is admirable.  

Classic Status 

It was 12 more years until the two teams met again. They have become annual rivals, and the game was re-named the Commemorative Classic in 2009 to recognize the historic nature of the first meeting. Johnson C. Smith once went 40 years without losing to Livingstone (1928-67) and won the most recent matchup 26-21. Overall, Johnson C. Smith leads the series 50-34-3, but Livingstone has split the last six contests.  

Regardless of outcome, this year’s Commemorative Classic will continue its important role in bringing annual attention to the first time two HBCU schools met on the gridiron and the over 130 years of football tradition it started. For that, all fans should be grateful.