by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
May 28, 2025
Howard University Athletics Director Kery Davis: “The tagline for this game is ‘Built on History. Fueled by Pride,’ but I’d like to say that we see this game as being fueled by revenge.”
Howard University will open its next football season playing against Florida A&M University in the 2025 Orange Blossom Classic, which will take place Aug. 30.
The game will be played at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium, pitting the two schools against each other as a “revenge” match since Howard lost a close game at the 2023 Celebration Bowl when Florida A&M pulled off a 30-26 victory. This game is also a “rematch” of sorts since these teams played in the first Orange Blossom Classic in 1933.
The countdown is on! @HUBisonFootball vs. @FAMU_FB. The bands. The tailgates. The legacy. — Sat. Aug. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens!
Get your crew & lock in those seats — #OBC2025 is about to be one for the books. Get tickets, hotels & more at https://t.co/NmfGm1NMWw… pic.twitter.com/QskKQbmpNu
– Orangeblossomfc (@orangeblossomfc) March 26, 2025
Howard University Athletics Director Kery Davis gave Florida A&M a warning as Howard seeks vengeance on Aug. 30: “The tagline for this game is ‘Built on History. Fueled by Pride, but I’d like to say that we see this game as being fueled by revenge.”
The first Orange Blossom Classic, founded by J.R.E. Lee Jr., the son of then-FAMU president J.R.E. Lee Sr., was played on a “Black only” field in Jacksonville, Florida, in its debut. Before a crowd of 2,000 people, FAMU shut out the Bison by a score of 9-0. More than four decades later, in 1974, FAMU bested Howard again with a 17–13.
Head coach Larry Scott, who grew up in South Florida, expressed excitement in bringing his team down to his native state to compete against the team that took a title championship away from them nearly three years ago.
“This really is a full-circle moment for me, having the opportunity to bring my team here for this game, which means so much to the community and the HBCU culture,” Scott said. “And playing Florida A&M to kick off the season is special because we want to close out the season playing for a championship and could very well do so against them in this year’s Celebration Bowl.”
Anyone with plans to attend the game can purchase tickets for the 2025 Invesco QQQ Orange Blossom Classic here.
For more information on the classic’s weekend of activities, visit www.orangeblossomclassic.com.
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