CLASSIC HISTORY
The annual Labor Day Classic enters its 40th year and features Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) rivals Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University. Outside of the annual gridiron match-up between both institutions, the classic has also become an anticipated event as bragging rights are on the line for both institutions and all that support each school.
Moved to the beginning of the football season in 1985, the Labor Day Classic has had its share of memorable moments over the years as the contest has been played in several stadiums across the Houston area and featured a colorful bunch of players and coaches.
The first-ever Labor Day Classic was played in the Astrodome during the 1985 campaign and featured Texas Southern capturing a 19-7 victory over the Panthers. Over 25,000 fans were present to witness the victory and the birth of Houston’s most successful rivalry. In 1986, Texas Southern claimed a 2-0 margin in the series as the Tigers staged a memorable comeback in the second half to defeat Prairie View on Labor Day night at the Astrodome. One year later, TSU once again came out on top as 19,500 fans made the trek to Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston in a 30-21 win.
Prairie View A&M made series history in 1988 as the Haney Catchings-led Panthers used a 23-yard field goal by Jorge Medina with 1:17 left to claim its first-ever win at Robertson Stadium by a score of 13-10. However, the excitement was short-lived as one year later, new TSU head coach Walter Highsmith arrived in Houston and dismantled the Panthers 45-7.
From there, TSU would win 14 consecutive contests until PVAMU’s breakthrough win in 2004 at Reliant (now NRG) Stadium under first-year head coach Henry Frazier III. From there, the tide turned in PVAMU’s favor as they won six of the next seven classics from 2005-11. In 2012, new TSU head coach Darrell Asberry won the classic in thrilling fashion as Robert Hersh kicked the game-winning 47-yard field goal with no time left. The classic shifted to downtown Houston at now Shell Energy Stadium in 2013 as PVAMU reclaimed the Durley-Nicks trophy but Asberry walked away with the trophy a year later after a 37-35 win at NRG Stadium.
New PVAMU head coach Willie Simmons had a successful classic debut as he defeated TSU in 2015 in Houston. In 2016, the classic moved to Prairie View A&M for the first time ever as the university opened Panther Stadium before a nationally-televised live ESPNU audience. Featuring new head coach Michael Haywood at TSU, the Tigers nearly pulled off the win during a seven-hour weather-delayed contest but PVAMU rallied in the final quarter for their second straight win. In 2017 and 2018, the classic was shifted to the end of the season due to weather and other scheduling commitments, as PVAMU won both games with new PVAMU head coach Eric Dooley winning the 2018 edition. The classic returned to Labor Day weekend in 2019 as former TSU head coach Clarence McKinney made his head coaching debut but the Panthers held on for their fifth straight win.
Due to COVID19, the classic was not held in 2020 as the Southwestern Athletic Conference shifted to a spring schedule in 2021 as the teams played on the Prairie View A&M campus. PVAMU rallied in the fourth quarter to claim the win in the spring and kept the momentum going in the fall with its seventh consecutive victory. PVAMU head coach Bubba McDowell kept the streak going with a win in his head coaching debut in 2022 at PVAMU and followed it up with an overtime win in Houston during the memorable 2023 classic, which marked only the second time the classic needed overtime to decide a winner.
With PVAMU winning 17 of the past 21 Labor Day Classics since 2004, new TSU head coach Cris Dishman ended years of frustration for Tiger fans with the team’s first win in Panther Stadium as the Durley Nicks trophy found its way back to Houston for the first time since 2014 with an impressive 27-9 win in his head coaching debut in 2024.
Source: https://tsusports.com/news/2025/8/1/football-2025-labor-day-classic-events.aspx