The annual Circle City Classic will include two new teams when the HBCU battle takes place in September.
Morgan State and Miles College will clash on Sept. 27 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It marks the first time both teams will play in the longtime HBCU classic. The bands — Purple Marching Machine and the Magnificent Marching Machine — will also join their respective teams for the popular HBCU showdown.
Alice Watson, the president and CEO of Indiana Black Expo, said that it is important “now more than ever to bring HBCU talent and exposure to the Midwest.”
“We hope that alumni and new fans alike will come out to Lucas Oil Stadium to support not only the tradition of the HBCU football game but also celebrate the talented bands,” Watson said in a press release.
In the 2024 campaign, Morgan State finished 6-6 and 3-2 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play while Miles notched an unprecedented season. The Golden Bears finished 14-3 including a perfect 12-0 mark in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action. Miles made a second round appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs and finished with a national ranking for the first time in program history.
This season, former NFL’s Indianapolis Colts player Chris Goode will enter his first year at the helm of the Golden Bears’ program after former head coach Sam Shade departed Miles to become the football coach at Alabama A&M.
North Carolina Central played in the last two editions of the Circle City Classic. Last season, NCCU defeated Norfolk State 37-10.