The Southern Heritage Classic, which attracted the largest crowd for a University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football game during the 2023 season, will remain at Memphis' Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium through 2032, game organizers announced.
The announcement came Tuesday, just before the Memphis City Council agreed to transfer ownership of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to the University of Memphis Auxiliary Services Foundation. The stadium, built in 1965, was known as Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium until April 2022, when Pine Bluff-based Simmons Bank secured naming rights for a reported $6.8 million over 10 years.
The U of M sought ownership of the stadium after FedEx founder Fred Smith made a $50 million challenge gift to the school in November for renovations to the stadium, which is home to the U of M football team and the annual Liberty Bowl game. The challenge is that the U of M athletic department matches the gift, which the university calls the largest in its history.
That threw the immediate future of the Southern Heritage Classic, an annual matchup of historically Black college football programs played since 1990, in doubt until Summitt Management Corp., which operates the game, announced it had reached a deal with the city that guarantees use of the stadium for nine more years.
Classic founder Fred Jones explained Wednesday that construction at the stadium would have an impact on gameday logistics.
"We just had to put together a road map and make sure that we got the venue secured for the dates we wanted," Jones said. "There are a lot of challenges we've got to deal with. Number one, the transfer became official, and a lot of construction is going to impact seating. It behooved us to take one step at a time and secure dates. That was of paramount concern, but we're getting the logistical things worked out this year."
The 2024 Classic, which will be the second between UAPB and Tennessee State University, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 14. Tennessee State, coached by NFL great Eddie George, won last year's classic, 24-14.
Whether UAPB will play in the Classic beyond 2024 remains to be determined, Jones said. The Golden Lions were invited after Jackson State University bowed out of the game in search of more lucrative deals to other contests.
Jones said he's received numerous calls asking when tickets for the 2024 Classic will go on sale, but added a date has not yet been determined. The 2023 game drew 32,518, filling up more than half of the 58,325-seat stadium.
In addition to receiving ownership of the stadium, the city of Memphis is transferring $120 million in Tennessee grant funding toward renovations, according to news releases. City and university officials said the purpose for the funding is to transform the stadium to a more competitive venue for a potential move to a Power Five conference from the American Athletic Conference. Many major universities -- with Southern California and Miami among notable exceptions -- compete in on-campus stadiums.
U of M athletic director Laird Veatch indicated in November the school wanted to continue partnerships with the Classic, Liberty Bowl game and Memphis Showboats of the United Football League.
"Many people have been involved in helping get this process to the finish line," Veatch said Tuesday. "We are tremendously appreciative of the Fred Smith Family, the City of Memphis administration, the Memphis City Council, Fred Jones, Steve Ehrhart and the Memphis Grizzlies [of the NBA] for working together to help develop a pathway to help our university and city ascend."
MFA, Populous and Barton Malow are indicated as project partners in the stadium remodel. The U of M said additional details regarding renovation impact on fans will be released at a future date.