October 16, 2025 • 24 mins
On this episode of Heavy in the Paint, Gerald Brown sits down with Kendra Bulluck-Major, the visionary Executive Director behind the Orange Blossom Classic. She opens up about the history, legacy, and purpose of the iconic HBCU matchup — and how it’s evolved into a multi-day cultural event with major economic and social impact across South Florida. From reviving the game’s 1933 roots to creating scholarship programs and ESPN partnerships, Kendra explains what it really takes to run one of the most celebrated events in college football. It’s sports.
It’s culture. It’s community. It’s Heavy in the Paint.
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It’s culture. It’s community. It’s Heavy in the Paint.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-in-the-paint--5915215/support.
Follow 19 Media Group:
Twitter: @19MGroup
Instagram: 19mediagroup
https://www.19MediaGroup.com
Discover our favorite podcast gear and support the show—shop our studio must-haves on our Amazon Affiliate page! https://www.amazon.com/shop/19mediagroup
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Up in the editing and stuff, so be ready soon, okay, okay, wonderful,
all right, I will start now, all right, joining me
right now here, Gerald Brown here and having and paint.
Next guest, outstanding individual and one of the best in
the business with the Orange Blossom Classic. That was very,
(00:20):
very powerful and an amazing event that took place this
past September later day week at the executive director of
the Orange Blossom Classic, Missus Kendra Bullock, Major Kendre, how
you doing today.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm doing great. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I'm doing wonderful. I'm doing wonderful. So, first and foremost,
thank you so much for joining me. Let's go back
from the beginning talk about what is the Orange Blossom
Classic and how did you get involved.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
With so the Orange Blossom Classic originally back in nineteen
thirty three when the game started, it was a postseason
game that was kind of known as the National Black Championship,
which of course we now know today as the Celebration.
But the game feature fam you along with an opponent
and whoever. Of course that whichever opponent would come out
(01:08):
victorious would be crowned the national champion in HBCU football,
and the game ran until about nineteen seventy eight. It
of course went away once schools began to integrate and
a lot of the football talent, as we knew it
went to other institutions. So fast forward to twenty twenty,
we were able to revive the game. We didn't kick
(01:30):
off until twenty twenty one due to COVID, but we
brought the game back as a way to just make
sure that down here in Florida, South Florida specifically, we
did not have an HBCU that had football.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Florida Memorial, who.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Was our HBCU at the time, did not have their
football program, and so this was a way for me
to show this current generation what HBCU culture and HBCU
football looked like, and of course paying tribute to the
original history of the Orange Blossom Classic. And so we
just celebrated our fifth year and very exciting time with
(02:07):
fam you and Howard and uh yeah, we're just gonna keep.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
It going, keep it going now.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
The twenty twenty five Invesco QQQ Orange Bowl Classic featured
Howard against Howard University against Florida A and M, which
obviously came down to a nail bier ten to nine
with Howard edging out Florida and M. But it was
impactful in terms of the growth with twenty two thousand
(02:34):
fans giving out our sixty six thousand in scholarships to
HBCU students. Talk about the growth of that, but the
impact a lot aside from that that you're most proud
of with the Orange Bowl Classic thus far, orange Blossom, Classic,
Orange Blossom, Classic, Orange Blossom.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
No worries, no worries, So you know, always proud of
opportunity to have two teams like Fam You and Howard, right,
they have such a history, such a legacy their names.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
If you don't know anything.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
About HBCU football or HBCU's period, chances are you've heard
of Florida A and M University and Howard University.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So very exciting, you know.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Twenty twenty four was the first time that we did
not have Fam You in the Classic, so you know,
very different, but still twenty four was a great year,
two great teams.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But we wanted to.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Welcome Fam You back in a major way because of
course down here with them being our largest HBCU and
with South Florida being the largest alumni based for Fam You,
we thought it would be great to bring in Howard
as the opponent number one that paid tribute to the
original classic. The nineteen thirty three matchup was between these
(03:51):
two institutions, and then of course the last time that
these two teams met was in the twenty twenty three
Celebration Bowl, and so it was a great opportunity for
Howard to face fam you. Of course, as you mentioned,
it was a nail bier, but Howard came out victorious.
It was an opportunity for them to kind of you know,
get some revenge. Much different, different look from twenty twenty three.
(04:15):
So we were really excited about the matchup. And then
that's on the field. Off the field, like you said,
when it comes to scholarships and the community impact, those
are some of the things that I am most proud of.
It's not just you know, putting together a really good matchup,
but it is just us coming being in this community
and seeing how we can be impactful from a holistic approach.
(04:38):
So we do, you know, have our Orange Blossom Classic
Scholarship Fund, which gives scholarships to deserving students who are
attending HBCUs, with priority placed on students who are attending
the participating universities and so we were able through partnerships
with some of our corporate partners, we were able to
(04:59):
this year get about sixty six.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Thousand dollars in scholarships.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And our tagline for the Orange Blossom Classic OBC is
one Big Community, and that is that community impact that
we always look for. We want to be impactful by
giving scholarships. We want to be impactful by helping to
drive the economic impact being here in Florida. Tourism is
our biggest industry and so however we can help support
(05:24):
the economic impact through tourism and bringing people that are
going to buy tickets and they're going to be in hotels,
and you know, it's a plus.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Also from a community.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Standpoint, we're able to host career fairs throughout the week.
We are able to provide our sports and entertainment symposiums
for college students so that they can explore career opportunities
off the field. With investco QQQ being our title partner,
they came in and provided a financial literacy workshop to
(05:55):
our players and to the band. So all of those things,
from scholarships to community impact is something that I'm very
proud of, and of course putting together a great product
on the field that our fans can enjoy, and bringing
the bands and bringing a fan fest and a tailgate.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
It's just a good a good week all the way around.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Would you say, was those sort of the kind of
the vision that you had which led you to want
to be a part of the Orange Blossom Classic in
terms of bringing it back and really now advancing it.
Would you say, with those some of the ideas or
the driving force to sort of have you sign up
as an executive director and be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh? Absolutely, So.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
You know, as you know, a classic is always more
than just the game itself. So when I envisioned what
this would look like, it was going to be something
that because I was so intrigued by the history of
the Orange Blossom Classic, it was going to be something
that highlighted the history of this particular classic, why this
classic is so important to the community. But also, you know,
(07:02):
our theme is built on history fueled by pride, So
we talk about the history and why the game is important,
but we also want to make sure that we're bringing
in something that's beneficial to the current generation.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
So just being.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Able to touch on every aspect from the history to
the community that it is one hundred percent what I envisioned.
You know, this this is one game where sports entertainment,
even you know, believe it or not, politics and social
justice all come into play when when you have this
many people convening in one place. So, yes, this is
(07:38):
definitely what I envisioned, and hopefully that that vision will
get bigger and bigger, will have even more people and
more opportunities for the community to engage.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, and also you know having it broadcast on ESPN
platform on ESPN, Uh, that has to be huge in
terms of helping with the growth the.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Orange Blossom Classic.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
When you look at the nature and the climate of
college football as a whole, where it's so much money,
and how the industry now has changed to a point
where so much of a focus on that higher level
is on that sort of playoffs and sort of again
the bulls are really impacting and stuff. Do you kind
(08:22):
of take a keep an eye, a keen eye on
what's transpiring in the world of college football as a
whole and perhaps how it could sort of impact the
Orange Blossom Classic in the future.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Oh, yes, we have to, because you know, all of
these things just come into play when you're thinking about scheduling.
You know, when you think about the opportunities for different matchups,
you have to keep those things in mind. When you
have ESPN as a broadcast partner. You want to put
together a matchup that is going to be great for television,
(08:58):
that's going to have a fan base that's going to travel.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
You know, you want to.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Look at again what schedules look like. You want to
look at the strength of schedule. You want to look at,
you know, if it impacts a you know, if this
is just going to be a a MEAC versus Swack
kind of match up, if this is going to be
a conference opponent that has other implications down the line
as far as what the rest of the season may
look like. You know, for the first three years with
(09:25):
us having FAM, you and Jackson State in the game. Again,
when we initially started, Family was not a part of
the Swack, and then when they moved into the Swack, Now,
what was supposed to be a friendly MEAC kind of
you know, Meac versus Swack kind of rival turned into
a game that would ultimately have implications.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
On the rest of their season that they're.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Now playing Week one. So all of those things you know,
come into play. We share a stadium with the Orange Bowl,
we share a stadium with the University of Miami, we
share a stadium with the Dolphins. So we have to
look at what the NFL is doing as far as
preseason and how they're setting their games. We have to
look at, you know, what's happening with the University of
(10:12):
Miami and what their schedule is going to look like.
And all of those things have to be aligned and
come into play, and it ultimately, believe it or not,
determines what, you know, what what particular network we're going
to be on. You know, So the first four years
of the game, we were on ESPN and ESPN two,
(10:34):
and then this past year we were on ESPNU because
we had to move the game to a Saturday because
Notre Dame had such an outstanding year the year before
and so the U it just so happened that UM
was opening up with Notre Dame. So ESPN said, hey,
we want to see that game on Sunday now because
we want to make a big deal about Sunday night
college football. So all of those things, you know, the
(10:56):
the way that the playoff system is changing, and now
with the celebration, ROWL moving up week. It's so many
things that come into play when you're planning these things
that you have to keep a close eye on for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
So obviously, you know, obviously with you overseeing this, talk
about how long it takes for this process, because again
we see the finished product as fans. Now you imagine
that this takes almost almost a year. And how much
wiggle room as you just alluded to with Notre Dame
and University of Miami, you know, and obviously the ESPN
(11:32):
partner in terms of wanting to switch game, how much
wiggle room do you really have to put in place
in terms of really planning this out for the Orange
Blossom Classic and then be able to say, okay, we're
anticipating that we might have to move some things around
and still make sure things go as smooth as plan.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
So you know, a lot of those things can come
up months months out, months in advance, but that's not
necessar early a lot of time when you're talking about
planning for team travel and then the teams of course
we have to think about when you know, fall camp
ins for them and how many weeks they have. So
(12:13):
I tell people we rest for two quarters and that
is the maybe the second and third quarter of the game.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
And then because first quarter we're making sure that everything
is in place in the venue. Fourth quarter, you know,
we're prepping for the postgame trophy presentation and getting the
teams back, and then we're right back at work, you know,
because there are so many things that have to be
managed and watched, and there are things that you can
plan out of course, and then just say, okay, we're
(12:42):
gonna plug and play. So we know we have this
huge piece here, we can start putting these larger pieces
of the puzzle together. And now we've got to go
in and put those little fine details in. So you know,
we look at from a scheduling standpoint, we start looking at, Okay,
we know you're gonna be in market either Sat. The
game is going to be played either Saturday or Sunday.
(13:03):
We know that for sure. Now we need to see
if there are any Thursday preseason games or if there
are any you know, because now HBCUs are playing on
Thursdays sometimes that you know, week one, it may be
a money game or something that they're they're playing. So
we we have to kind of work backwards and say, okay,
we we may need that window from Thursday to Monday.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Just the plan. So it starts the moment we leave
the stadium, we're back at work. We're back at work.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
How did you again?
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
And obviously in doing this and doing this job and
a great product and a great experience, talk about obviously
your experience pretty much in terms of football and bringing
that to this through this uh, this position, and and
and pretty much making sure that obviously your experience talk
about your experience with football.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
So I kind of say, for Mike, experience with football
is I know the game.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You know. That came about because I am.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
The mother of the boys who play sports, and I
got tired of telling, you know, my friends and people
who were at the game, like saying, hey, tell me
something good that my son did, so we'll have something
to talk about in the car home. And I was like,
got a trust your own information. So I said, let
me learn this myself. So that was the first part.
(14:25):
The other stuff, the technical side, the administrative side, that
really came about kind of like building the plane on
the way up. Honestly, you know, I've always been a
business professional. I own a couple of other businesses, and
so just taking that business acumen and then applying the
sports part to it is really where my background comes
(14:47):
into play. But just understand, I tell it, we're just
like glorified event planners basically, so that that really is,
you know, my experience was in the business sector, still
applying that when it comes to contract negotiations and just
understanding what the vision was and what I wanted the
(15:08):
game to look like.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
And then sitting down you know, I always.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Say, I don't care how much you elevate in business,
you have to have a mentor.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You have to have mentors.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
So sitting down with people who have sat in these
type of seats before or who are currently sitting in
those seats, and having real meaningful conversations and just learning.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
It took about ten.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Years to revive this game because you've got to have
the right schedules, the right people in place, and you
have to get the right matchups and so there were
so many, you know, and you've.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Got to get the buy in of your local.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Government because they want to see butts and seats and
heads in bed. So you've got to sell them on
the economic impact and how this is going to benefit
the community.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
If they invest in this.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
So those were conversations during that ten year period that
had to be had in order for it to actually
materialize later on. So that time that I was kind
of working and planning, I was also learning a lot
of the administrative side, in the behind the scenes. Like
(16:14):
my hat's off to every person who sits in an
athletic office and handles scheduling like it is like a
tetris and like on steroids basically, So those are the
type of things that you you know, you don't really
know until you're having to do it, but also having
(16:38):
meaningful conversations with mentors and people who sit in those seats.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, I gotta ask you this too, because you know,
a lot of the times in covering sports in general,
from college football to the NBA, I think we've moved
to a place in sports in general that a lot
of the times we're seeing creative things come into place.
So be it college football teams are now playing out
of the country. You've seen all different things basketball, college
(17:06):
basketball being played on an aircraft. If you had an
opportunity to take the Orange Blossom Classic and put it
somewhere where there's just be something unique, and I'll give
you an idea. I give you an idea. Perhaps put
it to make the Orange Blossom Classic into perhaps incorporating
(17:26):
basketball and maybe play it somewhere, maybe in the Miami Marlins.
I know they've changed the name and end up baseball
stadium in erect the basketball court.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
How possible and how possible it is something like that,
And also is that a part of creativity that is
needed now more so than ever to continue to grow
events like the Orange Blossom Classic.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Oh yeah, so you know I often say that we're
the newbies. We're the new kids on the block. You know,
we're up against class and not really up against but
you know, you have classics like the Florida Classic, you
have the Magic City Classic, the BYU Classic. Who are
those traditional classics with the same matchup year after year
and they are forty plus years in because of the
(18:10):
rivalry and the tradition. We're different in that we have
to remain creative because we are new and so we're
trying to get some of that market share and get
people excited about coming to Miami and with us rotating
opponents every year, you know, we have fam you as
our main stay, but with us bringing in a different
opponent every year. You're always catering to a different fan.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Base a lot of times. So you know, this year we.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Had to say, okay, well tell me what does the
DMV area like. What does the Howard fan base like?
You know, okay, well last year was Alabama State, So
what does the you know, Alabama, you know, what are
they doing the gun? What does Alabama's state fan base
look like? So you're always having to be creative and
do different things, number one, to stay relevant. Number two,
to produce a product that your fan base can be
(19:00):
And you want those returning fans who may not have
any affiliation with either school, but they just know if
I come to the Orange Blossom Classic, I'm going to
have a good time. So you do have to remain creative.
Basketball is something that is on our radar. You know,
I want to eventually add a basketball tournament component to
(19:20):
the game.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
You know when you.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Talk about venues, those are things that we're looking at
as well. Because you know, we do have our Marlin
Stadium here, who is actually the Marlins was formerly the
Orange Bowl Stadium where the original Orange Blossom Classic was played,
and of course where the original Orange Bowl was played.
So now that that is a baseball stadium. There have
(19:44):
been you know, we had very early conversations about hosting
it there. But again going back to scheduling with baseball,
the Marlins make the playoffs, you know, we don't know
if we're we're still looking at a baseball diamond, you know,
in the middle of step early step Jumber. So all
of those things you have to consider, you have to
(20:04):
think about. But there are certain things in the work too,
in the works that will again allow us to add
in new events, allow us to stay relevant, to be creative.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
We'll look at all of those things.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
We'll look at potential venue changes, We'll look at adding
different events. There are a lot of different different things
that we'll do creatively to keep people coming back and
also to cater to whatever our fan base is that
it's going to play against FAMU each year.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Well, just know that great minds think alike. So remember
just remember me, Jerald Brown, heavy into pay.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
You're just saying, when y'all put the basketball game in
the Marlin Stadium, directed the basketball court, No, just think
of me and stuff like that, and you'll have no charge,
no nothing.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Okay, We'll just make sure I have Gerald Brown on
the Jumbo Trumps.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
As we wrap up, what would be your what is
your goal ultimately in terms of taking the Orange Blossom
Classic to continue to build on what happened and transpire
this Labor Day, past Labor Day weekend and all the success.
And we just obviously touched on the creativity aspect that
you alluded to. There are some things in the work.
(21:19):
What is your vision and what is your goal moving
forward in terms of just continuing to grow this this
game and the Classic and really the impact it has
on that community down there in the South Florida area.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
So my vision for the Orange Blossom Classic is that
it is going to be an event that lasts long
passed me for years to come, and it's something that
we're not just thinking about a couple of months before
Labor Day.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I want there to you know, I want to add
in more programming. I want there to be an opportunity
for the Orange Blossom Classic to number one. You know,
our names being mentioned around those classics that I just
named as one of those, you know, premier classics to attend.
I want to make sure that with there's you know,
there's so many things that are going on in our
(22:07):
country right now, all related to HBCUs and just everything.
So I want us to be able to have a
voice when it comes to the importance of classics, the
importance of HBCUs, and why we need these institutions now
more than ever. So the greater vision is that we're
not just thinking about OBC as a football game that's
(22:29):
played Labor Day, that this is something that year round.
If you're talking about HBCUs or if there's anything that's
going on all over the country pertaining to HBCUs, we're present.
You know, we're in the fight, we have a seat
at the table, and we're making an impact with our
universities regardless of who's playing in the game.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah, it definitely sounds great, and I mean, listen, you
know you touched on it, and it's something about sports.
It's really a vehicle that obviously brings people together and
a lot of the time that you know, even in
the midst of all that might be transpiring in our world,
we kind of get an opportunity to escape. But obviously,
you know, in a sense look at people differently and
(23:10):
having events like the Orange Blossom Classic to be able
to really really instill those opportunities you know, and letting
people know that obviously we can utilize sports to bring
awareness to a lot of things. Yeah, I really appreciate
your time. Thank you so much, and I'm definitely looking forward.
(23:31):
And how can people before I let you get on
out of here, how can people stay abreast on all
the things upcoming with the Orange Blossom Classic and really
having an opportunity to know ahead of time to be
a part of the activity and and events that are
taking place.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
So you can follow us on all of our social
media pages at Orange Blossom FC and that's FC for
Football Classic, but at Orange Blossom FC, that's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and then of course our website, Orange Blossom Classic dot com.
You can sign up for our mailing list and then
get all of the information before it's publicly released.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Wonderful well, Kendre Bullock Major, thank you so much. I
wish you nothing but the best, but more importantly get some.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Rest because I know that obviously, like you just alluded to,
it will be here sooner than later, and I definitely
looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
But again, thank you so much. All the best moving forward.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
And thank you so much, Jeryl kend.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Your Bullock Major, Orange Blossom Classic, make sure you check
it out right here at any pain.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Thank you.
Up in the editing and stuff, so be ready soon, okay, okay, wonderful,
all right, I will start now, all right, joining me
right now here, Gerald Brown here and having and paint.
Next guest, outstanding individual and one of the best in
the business with the Orange Blossom Classic. That was very,
(00:20):
very powerful and an amazing event that took place this
past September later day week at the executive director of
the Orange Blossom Classic, Missus Kendra Bullock, Major Kendre, how
you doing today.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm doing great. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I'm doing wonderful. I'm doing wonderful. So, first and foremost,
thank you so much for joining me. Let's go back
from the beginning talk about what is the Orange Blossom
Classic and how did you get involved.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
With so the Orange Blossom Classic originally back in nineteen
thirty three when the game started, it was a postseason
game that was kind of known as the National Black Championship,
which of course we now know today as the Celebration.
But the game feature fam you along with an opponent
and whoever. Of course that whichever opponent would come out
(01:08):
victorious would be crowned the national champion in HBCU football,
and the game ran until about nineteen seventy eight. It
of course went away once schools began to integrate and
a lot of the football talent, as we knew it
went to other institutions. So fast forward to twenty twenty,
we were able to revive the game. We didn't kick
(01:30):
off until twenty twenty one due to COVID, but we
brought the game back as a way to just make
sure that down here in Florida, South Florida specifically, we
did not have an HBCU that had football.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Florida Memorial, who.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Was our HBCU at the time, did not have their
football program, and so this was a way for me
to show this current generation what HBCU culture and HBCU
football looked like, and of course paying tribute to the
original history of the Orange Blossom Classic. And so we
just celebrated our fifth year and very exciting time with
(02:07):
fam you and Howard and uh yeah, we're just gonna keep.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
It going, keep it going now.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
The twenty twenty five Invesco QQQ Orange Bowl Classic featured
Howard against Howard University against Florida A and M, which
obviously came down to a nail bier ten to nine
with Howard edging out Florida and M. But it was
impactful in terms of the growth with twenty two thousand
(02:34):
fans giving out our sixty six thousand in scholarships to
HBCU students. Talk about the growth of that, but the
impact a lot aside from that that you're most proud
of with the Orange Bowl Classic thus far, orange Blossom, Classic,
Orange Blossom, Classic, Orange Blossom.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
No worries, no worries, So you know, always proud of
opportunity to have two teams like Fam You and Howard, right,
they have such a history, such a legacy their names.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
If you don't know anything.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
About HBCU football or HBCU's period, chances are you've heard
of Florida A and M University and Howard University.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So very exciting, you know.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Twenty twenty four was the first time that we did
not have Fam You in the Classic, so you know,
very different, but still twenty four was a great year,
two great teams.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But we wanted to.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Welcome Fam You back in a major way because of
course down here with them being our largest HBCU and
with South Florida being the largest alumni based for Fam You,
we thought it would be great to bring in Howard
as the opponent number one that paid tribute to the
original classic. The nineteen thirty three matchup was between these
(03:51):
two institutions, and then of course the last time that
these two teams met was in the twenty twenty three
Celebration Bowl, and so it was a great opportunity for
Howard to face fam you. Of course, as you mentioned,
it was a nail bier, but Howard came out victorious.
It was an opportunity for them to kind of you know,
get some revenge. Much different, different look from twenty twenty three.
(04:15):
So we were really excited about the matchup. And then
that's on the field. Off the field, like you said,
when it comes to scholarships and the community impact, those
are some of the things that I am most proud of.
It's not just you know, putting together a really good matchup,
but it is just us coming being in this community
and seeing how we can be impactful from a holistic approach.
(04:38):
So we do, you know, have our Orange Blossom Classic
Scholarship Fund, which gives scholarships to deserving students who are
attending HBCUs, with priority placed on students who are attending
the participating universities and so we were able through partnerships
with some of our corporate partners, we were able to
(04:59):
this year get about sixty six.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Thousand dollars in scholarships.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And our tagline for the Orange Blossom Classic OBC is
one Big Community, and that is that community impact that
we always look for. We want to be impactful by
giving scholarships. We want to be impactful by helping to
drive the economic impact being here in Florida. Tourism is
our biggest industry and so however we can help support
(05:24):
the economic impact through tourism and bringing people that are
going to buy tickets and they're going to be in hotels,
and you know, it's a plus.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Also from a community.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Standpoint, we're able to host career fairs throughout the week.
We are able to provide our sports and entertainment symposiums
for college students so that they can explore career opportunities
off the field. With investco QQQ being our title partner,
they came in and provided a financial literacy workshop to
(05:55):
our players and to the band. So all of those things,
from scholarships to community impact is something that I'm very
proud of, and of course putting together a great product
on the field that our fans can enjoy, and bringing
the bands and bringing a fan fest and a tailgate.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
It's just a good a good week all the way around.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Would you say, was those sort of the kind of
the vision that you had which led you to want
to be a part of the Orange Blossom Classic in
terms of bringing it back and really now advancing it.
Would you say, with those some of the ideas or
the driving force to sort of have you sign up
as an executive director and be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh? Absolutely, So.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
You know, as you know, a classic is always more
than just the game itself. So when I envisioned what
this would look like, it was going to be something
that because I was so intrigued by the history of
the Orange Blossom Classic, it was going to be something
that highlighted the history of this particular classic, why this
classic is so important to the community. But also, you know,
(07:02):
our theme is built on history fueled by pride, So
we talk about the history and why the game is important,
but we also want to make sure that we're bringing
in something that's beneficial to the current generation.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
So just being.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Able to touch on every aspect from the history to
the community that it is one hundred percent what I envisioned.
You know, this this is one game where sports entertainment,
even you know, believe it or not, politics and social
justice all come into play when when you have this
many people convening in one place. So, yes, this is
(07:38):
definitely what I envisioned, and hopefully that that vision will
get bigger and bigger, will have even more people and
more opportunities for the community to engage.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, and also you know having it broadcast on ESPN
platform on ESPN, Uh, that has to be huge in
terms of helping with the growth the.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Orange Blossom Classic.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
When you look at the nature and the climate of
college football as a whole, where it's so much money,
and how the industry now has changed to a point
where so much of a focus on that higher level
is on that sort of playoffs and sort of again
the bulls are really impacting and stuff. Do you kind
(08:22):
of take a keep an eye, a keen eye on
what's transpiring in the world of college football as a
whole and perhaps how it could sort of impact the
Orange Blossom Classic in the future.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Oh, yes, we have to, because you know, all of
these things just come into play when you're thinking about scheduling.
You know, when you think about the opportunities for different matchups,
you have to keep those things in mind. When you
have ESPN as a broadcast partner. You want to put
together a matchup that is going to be great for television,
(08:58):
that's going to have a fan base that's going to travel.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
You know, you want to.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Look at again what schedules look like. You want to
look at the strength of schedule. You want to look at,
you know, if it impacts a you know, if this
is just going to be a a MEAC versus Swack
kind of match up, if this is going to be
a conference opponent that has other implications down the line
as far as what the rest of the season may
look like. You know, for the first three years with
(09:25):
us having FAM, you and Jackson State in the game. Again,
when we initially started, Family was not a part of
the Swack, and then when they moved into the Swack, Now,
what was supposed to be a friendly MEAC kind of
you know, Meac versus Swack kind of rival turned into
a game that would ultimately have implications.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
On the rest of their season that they're.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Now playing Week one. So all of those things you know,
come into play. We share a stadium with the Orange Bowl,
we share a stadium with the University of Miami, we
share a stadium with the Dolphins. So we have to
look at what the NFL is doing as far as
preseason and how they're setting their games. We have to
look at, you know, what's happening with the University of
(10:12):
Miami and what their schedule is going to look like.
And all of those things have to be aligned and
come into play, and it ultimately, believe it or not,
determines what, you know, what what particular network we're going
to be on. You know, So the first four years
of the game, we were on ESPN and ESPN two,
(10:34):
and then this past year we were on ESPNU because
we had to move the game to a Saturday because
Notre Dame had such an outstanding year the year before
and so the U it just so happened that UM
was opening up with Notre Dame. So ESPN said, hey,
we want to see that game on Sunday now because
we want to make a big deal about Sunday night
college football. So all of those things, you know, the
(10:56):
the way that the playoff system is changing, and now
with the celebration, ROWL moving up week. It's so many
things that come into play when you're planning these things
that you have to keep a close eye on for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
So obviously, you know, obviously with you overseeing this, talk
about how long it takes for this process, because again
we see the finished product as fans. Now you imagine
that this takes almost almost a year. And how much
wiggle room as you just alluded to with Notre Dame
and University of Miami, you know, and obviously the ESPN
(11:32):
partner in terms of wanting to switch game, how much
wiggle room do you really have to put in place
in terms of really planning this out for the Orange
Blossom Classic and then be able to say, okay, we're
anticipating that we might have to move some things around
and still make sure things go as smooth as plan.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
So you know, a lot of those things can come
up months months out, months in advance, but that's not
necessar early a lot of time when you're talking about
planning for team travel and then the teams of course
we have to think about when you know, fall camp
ins for them and how many weeks they have. So
(12:13):
I tell people we rest for two quarters and that
is the maybe the second and third quarter of the game.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
And then because first quarter we're making sure that everything
is in place in the venue. Fourth quarter, you know,
we're prepping for the postgame trophy presentation and getting the
teams back, and then we're right back at work, you know,
because there are so many things that have to be
managed and watched, and there are things that you can
plan out of course, and then just say, okay, we're
(12:42):
gonna plug and play. So we know we have this
huge piece here, we can start putting these larger pieces
of the puzzle together. And now we've got to go
in and put those little fine details in. So you know,
we look at from a scheduling standpoint, we start looking at, Okay,
we know you're gonna be in market either Sat. The
game is going to be played either Saturday or Sunday.
(13:03):
We know that for sure. Now we need to see
if there are any Thursday preseason games or if there
are any you know, because now HBCUs are playing on
Thursdays sometimes that you know, week one, it may be
a money game or something that they're they're playing. So
we we have to kind of work backwards and say, okay,
we we may need that window from Thursday to Monday.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Just the plan. So it starts the moment we leave
the stadium, we're back at work. We're back at work.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
How did you again?
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
And obviously in doing this and doing this job and
a great product and a great experience, talk about obviously
your experience pretty much in terms of football and bringing
that to this through this uh, this position, and and
and pretty much making sure that obviously your experience talk
about your experience with football.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
So I kind of say, for Mike, experience with football
is I know the game.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You know. That came about because I am.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
The mother of the boys who play sports, and I
got tired of telling, you know, my friends and people
who were at the game, like saying, hey, tell me
something good that my son did, so we'll have something
to talk about in the car home. And I was like,
got a trust your own information. So I said, let
me learn this myself. So that was the first part.
(14:25):
The other stuff, the technical side, the administrative side, that
really came about kind of like building the plane on
the way up. Honestly, you know, I've always been a
business professional. I own a couple of other businesses, and
so just taking that business acumen and then applying the
sports part to it is really where my background comes
(14:47):
into play. But just understand, I tell it, we're just
like glorified event planners basically, so that that really is,
you know, my experience was in the business sector, still
applying that when it comes to contract negotiations and just
understanding what the vision was and what I wanted the
(15:08):
game to look like.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
And then sitting down you know, I always.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Say, I don't care how much you elevate in business,
you have to have a mentor.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You have to have mentors.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
So sitting down with people who have sat in these
type of seats before or who are currently sitting in
those seats, and having real meaningful conversations and just learning.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
It took about ten.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Years to revive this game because you've got to have
the right schedules, the right people in place, and you
have to get the right matchups and so there were
so many, you know, and you've.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Got to get the buy in of your local.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Government because they want to see butts and seats and
heads in bed. So you've got to sell them on
the economic impact and how this is going to benefit
the community.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
If they invest in this.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
So those were conversations during that ten year period that
had to be had in order for it to actually
materialize later on. So that time that I was kind
of working and planning, I was also learning a lot
of the administrative side, in the behind the scenes. Like
(16:14):
my hat's off to every person who sits in an
athletic office and handles scheduling like it is like a
tetris and like on steroids basically, So those are the
type of things that you you know, you don't really
know until you're having to do it, but also having
(16:38):
meaningful conversations with mentors and people who sit in those seats.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, I gotta ask you this too, because you know,
a lot of the times in covering sports in general,
from college football to the NBA, I think we've moved
to a place in sports in general that a lot
of the times we're seeing creative things come into place.
So be it college football teams are now playing out
of the country. You've seen all different things basketball, college
(17:06):
basketball being played on an aircraft. If you had an
opportunity to take the Orange Blossom Classic and put it
somewhere where there's just be something unique, and I'll give
you an idea. I give you an idea. Perhaps put
it to make the Orange Blossom Classic into perhaps incorporating
(17:26):
basketball and maybe play it somewhere, maybe in the Miami Marlins.
I know they've changed the name and end up baseball
stadium in erect the basketball court.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
How possible and how possible it is something like that,
And also is that a part of creativity that is
needed now more so than ever to continue to grow
events like the Orange Blossom Classic.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Oh yeah, so you know I often say that we're
the newbies. We're the new kids on the block. You know,
we're up against class and not really up against but
you know, you have classics like the Florida Classic, you
have the Magic City Classic, the BYU Classic. Who are
those traditional classics with the same matchup year after year
and they are forty plus years in because of the
(18:10):
rivalry and the tradition. We're different in that we have
to remain creative because we are new and so we're
trying to get some of that market share and get
people excited about coming to Miami and with us rotating
opponents every year, you know, we have fam you as
our main stay, but with us bringing in a different
opponent every year. You're always catering to a different fan.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Base a lot of times. So you know, this year we.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Had to say, okay, well tell me what does the
DMV area like. What does the Howard fan base like?
You know, okay, well last year was Alabama State, So
what does the you know, Alabama, you know, what are
they doing the gun? What does Alabama's state fan base
look like? So you're always having to be creative and
do different things, number one, to stay relevant. Number two,
to produce a product that your fan base can be
(19:00):
And you want those returning fans who may not have
any affiliation with either school, but they just know if
I come to the Orange Blossom Classic, I'm going to
have a good time. So you do have to remain creative.
Basketball is something that is on our radar. You know,
I want to eventually add a basketball tournament component to
(19:20):
the game.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
You know when you.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Talk about venues, those are things that we're looking at
as well. Because you know, we do have our Marlin
Stadium here, who is actually the Marlins was formerly the
Orange Bowl Stadium where the original Orange Blossom Classic was played,
and of course where the original Orange Bowl was played.
So now that that is a baseball stadium. There have
(19:44):
been you know, we had very early conversations about hosting
it there. But again going back to scheduling with baseball,
the Marlins make the playoffs, you know, we don't know
if we're we're still looking at a baseball diamond, you know,
in the middle of step early step Jumber. So all
of those things you have to consider, you have to
(20:04):
think about. But there are certain things in the work too,
in the works that will again allow us to add
in new events, allow us to stay relevant, to be creative.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
We'll look at all of those things.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
We'll look at potential venue changes, We'll look at adding
different events. There are a lot of different different things
that we'll do creatively to keep people coming back and
also to cater to whatever our fan base is that
it's going to play against FAMU each year.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Well, just know that great minds think alike. So remember
just remember me, Jerald Brown, heavy into pay.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
You're just saying, when y'all put the basketball game in
the Marlin Stadium, directed the basketball court, No, just think
of me and stuff like that, and you'll have no charge,
no nothing.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Okay, We'll just make sure I have Gerald Brown on
the Jumbo Trumps.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
As we wrap up, what would be your what is
your goal ultimately in terms of taking the Orange Blossom
Classic to continue to build on what happened and transpire
this Labor Day, past Labor Day weekend and all the success.
And we just obviously touched on the creativity aspect that
you alluded to. There are some things in the work.
(21:19):
What is your vision and what is your goal moving
forward in terms of just continuing to grow this this
game and the Classic and really the impact it has
on that community down there in the South Florida area.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
So my vision for the Orange Blossom Classic is that
it is going to be an event that lasts long
passed me for years to come, and it's something that
we're not just thinking about a couple of months before
Labor Day.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I want there to you know, I want to add
in more programming. I want there to be an opportunity
for the Orange Blossom Classic to number one. You know,
our names being mentioned around those classics that I just
named as one of those, you know, premier classics to attend.
I want to make sure that with there's you know,
there's so many things that are going on in our
(22:07):
country right now, all related to HBCUs and just everything.
So I want us to be able to have a
voice when it comes to the importance of classics, the
importance of HBCUs, and why we need these institutions now
more than ever. So the greater vision is that we're
not just thinking about OBC as a football game that's
(22:29):
played Labor Day, that this is something that year round.
If you're talking about HBCUs or if there's anything that's
going on all over the country pertaining to HBCUs, we're present.
You know, we're in the fight, we have a seat
at the table, and we're making an impact with our
universities regardless of who's playing in the game.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah, it definitely sounds great, and I mean, listen, you
know you touched on it, and it's something about sports.
It's really a vehicle that obviously brings people together and
a lot of the time that you know, even in
the midst of all that might be transpiring in our world,
we kind of get an opportunity to escape. But obviously,
you know, in a sense look at people differently and
(23:10):
having events like the Orange Blossom Classic to be able
to really really instill those opportunities you know, and letting
people know that obviously we can utilize sports to bring
awareness to a lot of things. Yeah, I really appreciate
your time. Thank you so much, and I'm definitely looking forward.
(23:31):
And how can people before I let you get on
out of here, how can people stay abreast on all
the things upcoming with the Orange Blossom Classic and really
having an opportunity to know ahead of time to be
a part of the activity and and events that are
taking place.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
So you can follow us on all of our social
media pages at Orange Blossom FC and that's FC for
Football Classic, but at Orange Blossom FC, that's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and then of course our website, Orange Blossom Classic dot com.
You can sign up for our mailing list and then
get all of the information before it's publicly released.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Wonderful well, Kendre Bullock Major, thank you so much. I
wish you nothing but the best, but more importantly get some.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Rest because I know that obviously, like you just alluded to,
it will be here sooner than later, and I definitely
looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
But again, thank you so much. All the best moving forward.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
And thank you so much, Jeryl kend.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Your Bullock Major, Orange Blossom Classic, make sure you check
it out right here at any pain.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Thank you.
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