The 2025 Circle City Classic, in its 41st year, is a celebration of Black culture, sports and entertainment.
Two HBCU powerhouses, Morgan State University Bears and Miles College Golden Bears, will battle it out this fall.
President of Indiana Black Expo Alice Watson said they are excited to host Morgan State and Miles College for the first time in the 2025 Circle City Classic.
“Now more than ever, our mission and platform are necessary to bring HBCU talent and exposure to the Midwest,” Watson said. “We hope that alumni and new fans alike will come out to Lucas Oil Stadium to support not only the tradition of the HBCU football game but also celebrate the talented bands.”
Morgan State, designated as the home team, had a successful 2024 season, finishing third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The team accompanies Morgan State University’s ‘Magnificent Marching Machine,’ the first marching band from an HBCU to perform at the 80th commemorative D-Day anniversary in Normandy, France.
The visitors, Miles College, also sustained a historic 2024 season, going 10-3, securing the Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and pushing their way into the second round of the Division II college playoffs.
Head coach of Miles College Chris Goode was drafted to the NFL in 1987 and played his entire career with the Indianapolis Colts.
The 2024 season was the first time in the school’s history that its football team finished the season in the national rankings.
Similar to Morgan State University, Miles College has an award-winning band, the Miles College ‘Purple Marching Machine,’ making the halftime show at this year’s Circle City Classic even more worthwhile.
Tickets for the 2025 Circle City Classic will be available on April 21. For more information, visit circlecityclassic.com.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more sports from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
