On Saturday, the 2023 Bowl series will kick off and it will be The Cricket Celebration Bowl front and center. The Bowl features the best from the Southwestern Athletics Conference (SWAC) and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) squaring off to determine who is the king of HBCUs.
This year’s game which will be played at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia features the Rattlers of Florida A&M University (FAMU) and the Bison of Howard University. The game will kick off at noon and will be carried live for a national TV audience on ABC.
The game started in 2015 and has shown tremendous growth since. Early reports are that ticket sales are up and it could surpass last year’s attendance numbers. The reported payout is $1 million for each conference to be split on a percentage basis between the conference office and the member institutions. Last year’s game was reported to have 2.4 million viewers.
There are a number of events surrounding the game, featuring presentations of the Division 1 and Division II HBCU bands of the year, a celebrity swim meet, concerts, fan engagement and much, much more.
There is some added intrigue for this year’s game. ESPN Black College team play-by-play announcer Tiffany Greene Berry and color analyst Jay “Sky” Walker, of FAMU and Howard, respectively, will be calling the game as broadcasters.
“I have done a number of Howard games in the past,” said Walker, who is in both the Howard and MEAC Hall of Fames. “But to be doing this game on this stage with my alma mater playing in it, is special indeed. I am so proud of the program and where it has come.”
Greene Berry also noted how special it was for the two HBCU alumni to participate as broadcasters for the game.
“This certainly doesn’t come around very often and couldn’t have scripted it any better,” said Greene Berry. “Jay and I are two proud alums representing our respective institutions, HBCUs and the Black excellence that comes from them. I love that we get to be on a grand stage and share our collective stories.”
FAMU comes into the game with an 11-0 record, having won the SWAC championship last week against Prairie View A&M, while Howard won the regular season title despite a tie at 4-1 with North Carolina Central University (NCCU). Because the Howard Bison won the head-to-head meeting against the Eagles, they will represent the conference. NCCU is the defending Celebration Bowl champion, having defeated heavily favored Jackson State, 41-34 last season.
The MEAC has won five in a row and six of seven overall.
The two schools have met 39 times with the Rattlers holding a 23-11 advantage. The two played each other on a regular basis when FAMU was a member of the MEAC. Now that they are in the SWAC, Howard and FAMU have not met since 2019.
“I told the players that this is the most important game that they have ever played,” said Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons, the SWAC Coach of the Year. “To have this opportunity to showcase their talents to the country and the world is something that they may never experience again in their lifetimes. I told them to embrace the moment.”
Howard head coach Larry Scott, a candidate for the Eddie Robinson Award (presented to the Coach of the Year) also weighed in on the significance of the game.
“This means a lot to Howard University and the HBCU community to have us put our talent on display before a national audience. It is truly a great experience.”
The two great institutions have produced numerous leaders and movers and shakers over the years. On the NFL level, both have been well represented.
Greg Coleman, a FAMU alum (1975) and the first Black punter in the NFL, offers his views on the matchup.
“This is HBCUs at their finest,” said Coleman, recently inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame. “You have two great institutions showcasing their talents.”
Antoine Bethea, a 2006 Howard alum, a former All Pro and three-time Pro Bowler said she was excited about the upcoming game between the Bison and Rattlers.
“I never had the chance to play in the Celebration Bowl, so it means a lot to have my alma mater here representing the University and HBCUs in a bowl game is huge.”