Fort Valley State to take on Tuskegee in televised Red Tails Classic matchup

Fort Valley State’s football season is ready to kickoff, and they’re starting their season with a big game on the road.

The Wildcats will face the Tuskegee Airmen in the Red Tails Classic, a historic matchup between HBCUs, in Montgomery, Alabama Sept. 4.

The game will air on ESPN U at 7 p.m. The classic, in its second of three years being put on by ESPN, features prominent HBCUs playing against Tuskegee to kick off the season. Fort Valley won last year’s Red Tails Classic over Tuskegee 30-0.

“It feels great, we’re excited to get back out there,” said Wildcats head coach Shawn Gibbs on the matchup. “It’s a great opportunity, we get the chance to showcase our team, be on TV. It’s a golden opportunity.”

Gibbs was hired in February after FVSU posted a 5-5 record last season. He has a history of working with HBCUs, coaching at North Carolina A&T and Grambling before coming to Fort Valley State, so he knows the history behind the showdown in his first game as a head coach.

“It means a lot to get a chance to play against one of the winningest HBCU football programs,” Gibbs said. “The history is all there.”

FVSU looks to gain momentum this season with the opening game against the Airmen and carry it into the remainder of their schedule, where they’ll face teams including Albany State and Savannah State.

“Our expectation is to play to the best of our abilities,” Gibbs said. “It’s not so much the opponent we’re playing, it’s playing up to our standards of how well we can do.”

Viewers should watch for Wildcat running back Emanual Wilson, who is on the 2022 Black College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List.

This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.