The St. Louis Gateway Classic football game is coming back.
After a one-year hiatus, the annual black college football extravaganza is returning to St. Louis next season. And it is a very special one, indeed.
Perennial black college football powerhouse Tennessee State University will take on Central State University (OH) on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013 at the Edward Jones Dome. It will mark the 20th anniversary of the Gateway Classic football game, which was started by the late Earl Wilson, Jr.
It will be Tennessee State’s first appearance in the Gateway Classic. They are members of the Ohio Valley Conference. Central State is a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The Marauders are led by head coach E.J. Junior, who was a former NFL standout player for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Having these two teams in the Gateway Classic also rekindles an old rivalry which dates back to the late 1950s and early 1960s when Central State and then Tennessee A&I were playing in the same conference.
It is good to have the St. Louis Gateway Classic football game back on the fall sports schedule again. Not only do you have a football game, but there are all of the other events that surround the game which makes it a special weekend. I always love going to the parade the morning of the game.
We will definitely see a large contingent of fans and alums converge on St. Louis from Tennessee and Ohio for the game. I hope we can get a lot of support from the St. Louis community for the game as well.
On the Ball
Former Wentzville Holt star running back Montee Ball has entered the NCAA record books once again as the career leader in touchdowns for Division I football. A senior at the University of Wisconsin, Ball scored his 78th career touchdown in the second quarter of the Badgers 21-14 overtime loss to Ohio State to tie the NCAA Division I career mark, which is also held by Travis Prentice (Miami of Ohio, ‘96-99). Ball finished the game with 191 yards on a career-high 39 carries.
Markel Smith commits
Vianney High junior football standout Markel Smith recently gave a verbal commitment to the University of Missouri. The 5’11” 205-pound Smith completed his junior season as the leading rusher in the St. Louis metro area. Smith rushed for 2,250 yards and scored 30 touchdowns for the Golden Griffins. He averaged 8.8 yards per carry. He was also the Metro Catholic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year this season. A starter since his freshman year, Smith has rushed for 4,728 yards and has scored 55 touchdowns in his career.
Joe Williams in Waco
Former Riverview Gardens standout Joe Williams was a major player in Baylor’s 52-24 upset over No. 1 Kansas State last weekend in Waco. A junior cornerback for the Bears, Williams had 10 tackles and two interceptions to lead an inspired Baylor defensive effort against the Wildcats. For his efforts, Baylor received a helmet sticker on ESPN’s Game Day Final post-game show later that night. The show’s hosts, Reese Davis, Mark May and Lou Holtz give out those helmet stickers at the end of each show to salute the top individual performances during the day of college football.
High school hoops are back
High school basketball begins this week with Thanksgiving tournaments taking place at St. Francis Borgia and Alton (Ill.). The Borgia Thanksgiving Tournament features a strong field, including McCluer North, Cardinal Ritter, St. Louis Christian, Borgia, Washington and Pacific. The tournament begins on Wednesday. The semifinals will be held on Friday with the championship game set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
