|
The History of Blue Gray Football
But for a casual visit between two old friends in 1938, the Blue-Gray
Football Classic might never have come into existence.
The late Champ Pickens, known throughout his long and colorful life
as a great promoter, conceived the idea of a football game between
North and South college
senior all-stars as an attraction for the 1940 World's Fair in New York.
Before leaving for New York, where he hoped to sell his idea to Fair officials,
Champ visited his friend, Montgomery Mayor Bill Gunter, and explained the nature
of his planned trip to New York. The Blue and Gray game was born at that meeting
with Gunter insisting that the first game be played in Montgomery and then
moved to New York for the 1940 Fair. The first game was played January 2, 1939,
with the North winning 6 - 0. The media carried the Blue and Gray story worldwide.
Champ Pickens never made it to New York's World Fair. With Mayor Gunter's insistence
and financial backing, the game stayed in and became a part of Montgomery,
Alabama, being played again on December 30, 1939, when the South won 33 - 20.
Many legends of football have proudly coached and played for the Blue or the
Gray at Cramton Bowl. The game has weathered three wars, the end of the great
depression, recessions, good times and bad times and today is stronger than
ever.
Champ Pickens was helped by his friend Grantland Rice, a strong, early supporter
of the game, and the Gillette Safety Razor Company, radio's main sports sponsor
of that era.
The legend of Champ Pickens, student manager of the 1898 University
of Alabama, Crimson Tide football team, lives on in the Blue-Gray
Football Classic. As
Champ would say, "The success of the game belongs to many others." That
fact is particularly true since his death.
When Allyn McKeen, the most successful coach in the history of Mississippi
State, moved to Montgomery in the late 1940's to open a sporting goods business,
Champ Pickens associated him to help run the game. McKeen served in many capacities
using his numerous football contacts serving as General Manager of the game
until the late 1970's.
The game was acquired in 1955 from Pickens and McKeen by the Montgomery Lions
Club and the proceeds since that time have gone to Lions Club charities.
The 1986 association with ABC Sports and now ESPN/ESPN2 solidified
the Blue-Gray’s
position as one of the top post-season events.
The high quality of the game is being maintained
through the strong leadership and volunteer participation of the
Montgomery Lions Club through its Blue and Gray Association.
More than 300 representatives from professional teams attend practices and
meet with players. It is a unanimous consensus of college coaches, administrators
and professional personnel, that the Blue-Gray All Star Football Classic is
one if the best run and best organized of all college football special events.
Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright says, “The Blue-Gray Game gives the historic
capital city tremendous national exposure for tourism and business”.
| 
