There are certain college football rivalries that resonate around the country.

There is Michigan vs. Ohio State, Alabama vs. Auburn and Notre Dame vs USC just to name a few.

However, there is another football rivalry based in Louisiana that over the years has become more than just a battle for bragging rights between two institutions. It has become the cornerstone event for both a city, and a culture.

In this all new edition of the Historically Speaking Sports podcast, the Sports History podcast that gives you the sports for back in the day, we will talk with author Tom Aiello and his book the History of the Bayou Classic.

The annual game between the Grambling State Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars evokes memories of great coaching matchups which featured the great Eddie Robinson and incomparable players on both sides with a good number of them reaching the pro football hall of fame.

Even though the game known as the Bayou Classic has been around since 1974, the rivalry between Southern and Grambling goes back nearly a century with a very interesting history and back story.

Along with the game there is a number of other events connected with the bayou classic that includes the Greek Show, job fair and the famous Battle of the bands.

Yet of course, what makes the game are the players. And some of the greatest players in NFL history have played in this game. In our shout out segment, we will highlight some of the players that have stared in this annual game that has become the biggest and most important football rivalry in the state of Louisiana.

All that and more in this all new edition of the historically Speaking Sports here on the sports history network.

To contact the show, please e-mail us at Historically.speaking.sports@gmail.com

Here is the link to Tom Aiello's books: https://www.thomasaiellobooks.com/

The year was 2002.

The price of gas was roughly a $1.19 a gallon, a dozen of eggs were under a dollar and the biggest hits in Hip Hop was "Getting Hot in Here" by Nelly and the song from the movie Eight Mile "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.

In the world of college football, the Miami Hurricanes were coming off of a national championship run and were looking to continue their 22-game winning streak, a streak that seemed to have no end in sight.

However "The U" was beginning to hear rumbles from other programs looking to knock them off of their lofty perch.

In this episode of the podcast, we will travel back to the year 2002 in College Football in our first episode of the series we call "A Year in the League" where we talk about all of the headlines, best teams and memorable moments that made that season so memorable.

In addition of the Larry Coker coached Miami Hurricanes, there were other teams that included the USC trojans that were on the rise who were led by head Coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Carson Palmer who went on to win college footballs most coveted trophy.

Another team that was making noise in college football that year was Oklahoma who had returned to glory after years of struggle that followed the exit of their legendary coach Barry Switzer and also will revisit one of the most improbable finishes in college football that fans have called the "Bluegrass Miracle".

Yet that season climaxed in the desert of Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl when a team with a second year coach and a freshman running back pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year in one of the best national championship games ever and brought a national title to a place that hadn't celebrated one for more than a generation.

Later in the show, we'll send a shout out to all of the schools in our home state and what they did in that season of 2002 including our alma mater who won their rivalry game for the ninth time in a span of 10 seasons.

To contact the show, send us an e-mail at Historically.Speaking.Sports@gmail .com

Mentioned in this episode:

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This is a short bulletin previewing from a historical perspective the upcoming World Series.

In this, the 121 edition of the fall classic, features the National League and defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. looking to repeat as World Champions and to claim its ninth World Series in history They will face the Toronto Blue Jays, looking to win its first title in 32 years when they themselves won back to back titles under manager Cito Gaston in the early 1990s.