About HBCU
DREAM BOWL WEEKEND- January 12-16 2017
Cutting Edge Sports Management
MISSION:
Cutting Edge Sports Management (CESM) will present the first Dream Bowl Weekend January 12-16, 2017 with family and football-related activities culmination with the HBCU Spirit of America Bowl during Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend.
The Dream Bowl Weekend will raise social awareness and offer career opportunities on and off the field through sport and competition.
EVENT OVERVIEW:
The Dream Bowl Weekend includes:
The HBCU Spirit of America Bowl, an HBCU football all-star game to be played on January 15, 2017
NFL/CFL-style combine; 11 Scouts last year (5 NFL, 5 CFL, and one global scout)
Sports Award Banquet with featured keynote speakers;
HBCU Band performances; and a career services and career fair for the student-athletes.
The Weekend will celebrate the tradition, heritage, community, and culture of HBCU football with full interaction with its athletes, fans, students, and alumni.
The Dream Bowl Weekend Event will capture the spirit and lifestyle found on the 107 HBCU campuses across the country.
Building off of the success of the Dream Bowl, which is now entering its fifth year, the HBCU Spirit of America Bowl will feature 110 of the best players from the 53 HBCU football programs across the country who play in 13 different conferences from the NCAA D-I FCS and D-II divisions and in the NAIA.
HBCU student-athletes have been well represented in the past Dream Bowl games with an average of 15-20 in the Dream Bowl III and Dream Bowl IV
HBCU SPIRIT OF AMERICA BOWL:
The game will be played in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Hampton Roads is home to two MEAC Conference (D-I FCS) schools, Hampton University and Norfolk State.
In addition, two other HBCU schools (Virginia State and Virginia Union) are within a two-hour drive, while Virginia University-Lynchburg, Winston-Salem State, and Morgan State are within a 4-hour drive.
The MEAC conference fans are also used to traveling to Hampton Roads for inter-conference games against Hampton and Norfolk State.
The 110 student-athletes will be coached by African-American coaches and the fans will be treated to a halftime show featuring an HBCU band performance celebrating the music and dance of the HBCU community and culture.
HBCU SPIRIT OF AMERICA BOWL COMBINE:
Scouts from the NFL and CFL will conduct a true combine for all Spirit of America Bowl players following the same tests and set-up established by the NFL-Super Combine in Indianapolis.
Last year several players’ test results exceeded those of the participants at the Indianapolis combine,
We are looking to televise the combine this year.
HBCU SPIRIT OF AMERICA BOWL SPORTS AWARDS BANQUET:
The players, their friends, families, and former coaches, along with NFL and sport industry dignitaries are invited to the HBCU Spirit of America Bowl Sports Awards Banquet.
Each player receives a free ticket to the Sports Awards Banquet where the athletes are introduced and presented with their personalized game jerseys by their head coaches.
Special awards will also be presented to the athletes and coaches.
The banquet guests will be treated to motivational speeches from a keynote speaker who will inspire the players and guests.
Last year’s banquet hosted over 300 attendees and 6 former NFL players.
CESM CAREER FAIR
The numbers do not lie: 95% of Fortune 500 CEOs played college sports. Athletes make great prospective hires as they are equipped with valuable skills that often cannot be found on a resume.
Dedication. Perseverance. Commitment. Drive for excellence. Teamwork. Leadership. Ability to bounce back from loss or defeat. These qualities translate into success on the field and more importantly for companies, success off the field.
The vision of CESM is help create a successful transition from sports to career by bringing national companies and organizations looking to hire recent and soon-to-be college graduates with the skills ready to enter and succeed in the workplace.
CESM will attract companies and CEO’s from around the country and play host to a weekend filled with career services workshops including resume preparation, interview coaching, and goal-setting seminars.
CESM envisions providing every student-athlete at the Dream Bowl Weekend the opportunity to transition to a successful life after sports by making a positive impact in their lives.
HBCU FOOTBALL FAN BASE
Traditionally, HBCU fans and community turn HBCU football games (especially the HBCU Classics) into multi-day spectaculars, where they gather to celebrate football, culture, music and customs.
Similar to a college bowl game, the fans show their pride in their schools and their heritage with parades, dancing, tailgating, and grilling their favorite foods.
Details about the rich HBCU fan base and rich history with respect to major events and football legends, are in the following appendix.
EXHIBIT: HBCU Fan Base and History Detail
HBCU CONFERENCES: (13)
Central States Football League
CIAA
Gulf Coast
MEAC
MIAA
Mountain East Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
PSAC
Red River Athletic Conference
SIAC
SWAC
USCAA
Peach Belt Conference
HBCU FOOTBALL SCHOOLS: (53)
Texas College
Bowie State
Elizabeth City State University
Fayetteville State University
Johnson C. Smith University
Livingstone College
Shaw
St. Augustine’s University
Winston-Salem State University
Lincoln University (Pa)
Virginia State University
Virginia Union University
Edward Waters College
Delaware State
Bethune-Cookman
Florida A&M University
Savannah State University
Morgan State University
North Carolina A&T University
North Carolina Central University
South Carolina State
Hampton University
Norfolk State University
Howard University
Lincoln University (Mississippi)
West Virginia State University
Tennessee State University
Cheyney
Langston University
Miles College
Stillman College
Tuskegee University
Albany State
Clark Atlanta University
Fort Valley State University
Morehouse College
Kentucky State
Central State University
Benedict College
Lane College
Alabama A&M
Alabama State
Arkansas at Pine-Bluff
Grambling State University
Southern
Alcorn State
Jackson State
Mississippi Valley State University
Prairie View A&M University
Texas Southern University
Concordia College-Alabama
Virginia University of Lynchburg
UNC at Pembroke
HBCU FOOTBALL CLASSICS: (Traditional games between HBCU Schools)
Palmetto Capital City Classic (Columbia, South Carolina): Benedict College vs. Livingstone College
Labor Day Classic (Houston, Texas): Prairie View A&M vs. Texas Southern
MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Orlando, Florida): Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. South Carolina State
John Merritt Classic (Nashville, Tennessee): Alabama State vs. Tennessee State
Two Rivers Classic (Fayetteville, North Carolina): Fayetteville State vs. UNC Pembroke
Southern Heritage Classic (Memphis, Tennessee): Tennessee State vs. Jackson State
Nations Football Classic (Washington, DC): Hampton vs. Howard
Circle City Classic (Indianapolis, Indiana): Kentucky State vs. Central State
Chicago Football Classic (Chicago, Illinois): Morgan State vs. Howard
Down East Viking Football Classic (Rocky Mount, NC): Elizabeth City State vs. Winston-Salem State
Battle of the Bay (Hampton, VA): Hampton vs. Norfolk State
State Fair Classic (Dallas, TX): Grambling State vs. Prairie View A&M
Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic (Columbus, GA): Tuskegee vs. Morehouse
Magic City Classic (Birmingham, AL): Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M
Fountain City Classic (Columbus, GA): Fort Valley State vs. Albany State
Turkey Day Classic (Montgomery, AL): Miles vs. Alabama State
Florida Classic (Orlando, FL): Florida A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman
Bayou Classic (New Orleans, LA): Grambling State vs. Southern A&M
Celebration Bowl (Atlanta, GA): MEAC Conference Champion vs. SWAC Conference Champion
Notes:
The inaugural Celebration Bowl took place on December 19, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance was 35,528
The game between North Carolina A&T-Alcorn State was telecast on ABC
Drew a 1.9 overnight rating on a Saturday afternoon, according to Sports Media Watch.
Second highest rating of the day, trailing the Las Vegas Bowl featuring rivals Utah and BYU.
Second most watched college sporting event on Saturday
Beat the #22-UCLA/#11-UNC basketball game which aired at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
Beat the Ohio State/#4-Kentucky at 3:30 p.m. which garnered a 1.69 rating
Beat out Fox’s UFC coverage at 8:00 p.m. which garnered a 1.82 rating.
GREAT HBCU PLAYERS IN THE NFL
Quarterback – Doug Williams, Grambling State (1974-78)
Running Back – Walter Payton, Jackson State (1971-75)
Wide Receiver – Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State (1981-85)
Tackle – Jackie Slater, Jackson State (1972-76)
Guard – Rayfield Wright, Fort Valley State (1963-67)
Center – Woody Peoples, Grambling State (1964-68)
Guard – Larry Little, Bethune-Cookman (1964-68)
Tackle – Art Shell, Maryland State (Maryland-Eastern Shore) (1964-68)
Tight End – Raymond Chester, Morgan State (1966-70)
Wide Receiver – Bob Hayes, Florida A&M (1960-64)
Running Back – Leroy Kelly, Morgan State (1960-64)
Defensive Line – Michael Strahan , Texas Southern (1988-1992)
Defensive Line – Willie Davis, Grambling State (1952-56)
Defensive Line - Buck Buchanan, Grambling State (1959-63)
Defensive Line - Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Tennessee State (1970-74)
Defensive Line - Deacon Jones, South Carolina State/Mississippi Vocational (1958-60)
Linebacker - Willie Lanier, Morgan State (1963-67)
Linebacker - Harry Carson, South Carolina State (1972-75)
Cornerback - Willie Brown, Grambling State (1959-63)
Cornerback - Johnny Sample, Maryland State (1954-58)
Safety - Ken Houston, Prairie View A&M (1963-67)
Safety - Mel Blount, Southern (1966-70)
CURRENT NFL PLAYERS FROM HBCU SCHOOLS
Eric Weems Wide Receiver
Frank Kearse Defensive Tackle
Robert Mathis Linebacker
Larry Donnell Tight End
Eric Harper Linebacker
Jason Hatcher Defensive Tackle
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Cornerback