Ahead of the third annual Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic between Winston-Salem State and Central, ESPN has announced that its flagship show “First Take” will be hosting a live show in Canton.
Former Grambling State quarterback and Black College Football Hall of Fame co-founder Doug Williams will be featured on the show as a guest. There will also be performances from the Central State and Winston-Salem State marching bands.
“This appearance by First Take has been a longtime in the making” said First Take host and Winston-Salem State alum Stephen A. Smith. “From marching bands to the games themselves, Black College football illuminates the Black college experience in ways that nothing else does. First Take is honored to play a role in bringing that message to its national television audience. We can’t wait to get there! See ya in Canton!”
Friday, Sept. 2, @FirstTake will be live from the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic weekend
🏈 Watch @stephenasmith & @MollyQerim from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
🏈 Doors open 8:30a ET
🏈 Ahead of @WSSU_Athletics vs @GO_MARAUDERS (Sept. 4)https://t.co/v1pKXWqdWo pic.twitter.com/Fa29FsQ59W— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) August 25, 2022
First Take has been an advocate of Historically Black Colleges featuring them on many different occasions on a yearly basis.
They have previously done a live show from Florida A&M’s campus during homecoming in 2021. The show featured appearances from FAMU alumnus Will Packer and comedian Kevin Hart.
The show on multiple occasions has featured different HBCUs around the country as part of HBCU Week.
First Take was supposed to do a live show from the Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis last year but opted to do a virtual show instead.
This will be the first Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic between two Division II schools. The game will take place on Sept. 4 and will be broadcast live on NFL Network.
I enjoyed listening to your commentary, filled with so much knowledge of the game!!!