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Bragging Rights: FAMU's Bragg Memorial Stadium to host FHSAA state football championships
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- Bragging Rights: FAMU's Bragg Memorial Stadium to host FHSAA state football championships
Leon County and Florida A&M is giving Florida high school football players something to Bragg about.
The home of FAMU's football team , Bragg Memorial Stadium, will host the 2023 Florida High School Atheltic Association (FHSAA) football state championships from Dec. 7-9, with three games played each day. The deal is valid for one year and will be reassessed after the FHSAA decides on high school football classifications for 2024.
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The announcement came during a press conference on Thursday morning, with representatives from Visit Tallahassee, Leon County, FAMU and the FHSAA present. Kerri Post, Director of Tourism for Leon County, called the announcement a "moment of immense pride" for the county and FAMU.
"We are so delighted and proud to again extend our partnership with the FHSAA," Post said. "We're really excited about expanding our partnership with Florida A&M Athletics to bring these events here, which has really been a terrific partnership."
The decision is not yet final, with a budget approval meeting in October making the deal official if approved, something Leon County Commission Chairman Nick Maddox feels won't be an issue.
"We have one more vote in October that will finalize this thing into action for us, but I have no doubt that my fellow commissioners will support us again," Maddox said. "Thank you for the opportunity, but most of all, thank you for establishing a place for those players and those fans and children to have a memory."
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If approved, the state championships would bring in an estimated 11 million dollars to the Leon County economy. Local hotels, restaurants and shops would benefit from the tens of thousands of visitors from across the state.
Tallahassee hosted Classes 1A-3A football state championships at Gene Cox Stadium in 2021 and 2022. Now all the classifications will move a few miles up the road to Bragg Memorial Stadium.
The last high school state title game played in Bragg Memorial Stadium, according to the FHSAA records book, was in 1978. FAMU High (now called FAMU DRS) beat Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin 45-6 under legendary coach Johnnie Williams.
Bragg Memorial Stadium hosted its only previous state title game two years earlier in 1976, as Williams' Rattlers beat St. Petersburg Shorecrest 38-0. Four decades later FAMU will again host the state championships, something that excites FHSAA Executive Director Craig Damon
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"To go to one place and watch nine football games in one location at one time, I'm super excited about that," Damon said. "I think is great because if you have two schools from the same area, they can support each other and be there to cheer each other on."
A showcase for FAMU
Bragg Memorial Stadium, the home of FAMU’s football team, will host the 2023 FHSAA football state championships
The press conference took place on the newly dedicated Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium with FAMU Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes calling the moment a thrilling occasion for the Rattlers.
"I am thrilled to stand before you today as the athletic director at FAMU and deliver today's exciting announcement that we are thrilled to host the upcoming FHSAA High School Championship games right here on our campus," Skyes said. "We're not just bringing championship football games to our campus, we are using this opportunity to partner with Leon County and showcase what really makes FAMU exceptional."
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Skyes, who took over the athletic director role a little under a year ago, says FAMU Athletics will partner with multiple university departments, including student affairs, recruitment and admissions to help high school students get the best experience.
The opportunity for student-athletes to play at Bragg excites Skyes. She says students interested in coming to FAMU or athletes who hold scholarship opportunities from the Rattlers will have the opportunity to experience what the university has to offer.
"It is incredibly important, but it was up to us to create that opportunity to invite them to our campus," Skyes said about showcasing FAMU to students. "Maybe you're coming in as an undecided student. We can help you figure out what it is that you're really passionate about because we are here to nurture you in the classroom and on the court or field."
The value of a memory
Skyes, who was a student-athlete in both high school and college, said the opportunity for high school athletes to play at a college campus gives them memories for a lifetime.
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"I was a student-athlete in high school and a student-athlete in college and I'm just thinking about what an incredible memory that's going to be able to create for the kids," Skyes said. "When I visited college football games and college volleyball games with my parents, it was so impressionable that it helped me choose to get into this profession. So I know how much of an impact this type of memory can make on someone."
Hosting the state championships at Bragg gives players the opportunity to create their own memories. Maddox, who played in a State Championship game on his birthday in December of 1997 at the University of North Carolina's Kenan Memorial Stadium, knows how impactful those memories are.
"You never forget where you played the state championship," Maddox said. "Whether you won or lost, you never forget how you played that day, you never forget the temperature you never forget the fans. Even 30-40 years later, you can still feel what you felt that day."
Maddox understands how important every aspect of the state title experience is, from the hotel the team stays at, to the fields used for practice. He knows that the moments he still cherishes will impact the student-athletes in the same way.
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"Even outside of the game, I remember the hotel we stayed at, I remember how it was after the game and the route from the buses. We appreciated everything," Maddox said. "You never forget any of that stuff, it's just gonna be an amazing experience for those kids."
FHSAA State Semifinals
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday, December 1, 2023
Where: sites notated on State Series brackets
Admission: $11.00 per game
FHSAA football playoffs history in Tallahassee
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1969: Class 2A – Doak Campbell Stadium; Leon beat Brandon 24-14
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1972: Class 4A – Doak Campbell Stadium; Merritt Island beat Leon 40-21
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1974: Class 4A - Doak Campbell Stadium: Leon beat Miami Beach 20-9
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1976: Class A – Bragg Memorial Stadium; FAMU beat St. Petersburg Shorecrest 38-0
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1978: Class A – Bragg Memorial Stadium; FAMU beat Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin 45-6
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1986: Class 3A – Capital Stadium; Godby beat Clewiston 20-0
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2001-02: All classifications Doak Campbell Stadium; Class 4A Lincoln beat St. Thomas Aquinas 28-20; Class 2A Madison County beat Clewiston 21-14
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2019: Class 1-3A Gene Cox Stadium; Class 1A Madison County beat Blountstown 70-35
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2020: Doak Campbell Stadium; Class 5A American Heritage beat Rickards 24-6
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2021-22: Class 1A-3A Gene Cox Stadium; Class A Madison County beat Hawthorne 13-12; 2S Cocoa beats Florida High 38-31 OT
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SOURCE: FHSAA Records book
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone y
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU will host 2023 FHSAA state championships at Bragg Memorial Stadium
