Canton, Ohio: Just a two-hour drive to experience Black College Football

‘Hall of Fame Classic’ pits Virginia State vs. Benedict College, Sept. 1 With each year, more Pittsburghers are making the trip to Canton, Ohio, for the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic, which occurs on the Sunday before Labor Day. For sports fans, or fans of Black College Football lore, or both, it’s the only football game between two HBCUs anywhere near Pittsburgh all year. The New Pittsburgh Courier spotted a number of Pittsburghers at the 2023 contest between Morehouse and Virginia Union, including Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters and members of the Westinghouse High School football team. The Black College Football experience puts the “u” in unique. The battle of the bands, the Divine Nine, the passion that fans have for their HBCU, the places that those HBCUs hold in American history, and more. It’s something that a HBCU graduate surely wants to pass on to their kids and grandkids, which is why so many families attend the annual game in Canton. Around Pittsburgh, the closest HBCUs are Lincoln and Cheyney universities near Philadelphia, Central State and Wilberforce universities near Dayton, Ohio, and West Virginia State University, near Charleston. Cities like Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham and Indianapolis...