The Real HU is an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

game played annually by the

Bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

and the

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

. The series started in 1908 and is driven by several factors, which include the close proximity of the two Mid-Atlantic schools, the historically high academic standing of both these private institutions as Howard and Hampton are considered

Black Ivy League The Black Ivy League refers to a segment of the historically black colleges (HBCUs) in the United States that attract the majority of high-performing or affluent African American students. The actual Ivy League is an eight-member athletic conferen ...

universities and have student-alumni populations from similar backgrounds, and that the two schools have competed in the same athletic conferences for approximately a century. Previously the two schools competed in the

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. CIAA institutions mostly consist of historically black coll ...

(CIAA) and

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...

(MEAC). On November 16, 2017, Hampton announced that they were becoming a member of the

Big South Conference The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Th ...

in 2018. Due to scheduling reasons, Hampton was to remain in the MEAC for 2018, but the MEAC refused to allow Hampton to play MEAC opponents in 2018, as punishment for leaving the MEAC for the Big South. The rivalry resumed in 2019, with Hampton facing Howard on September 14 in the 22nd Annual Chicago Football Classic at Soldier Field. The annual football contest has primarily been played at the two respective campus facilities:

Armstrong Stadium Armstrong Stadium is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Hampton, Virginia. It opened in 1928. It is home to the Hampton University Pirates football team, lacrosse team, and men's and women's track teams. History Initial construction The ...

for Hampton, and Howard's Greene Stadium, although the contest has been played at other locations such as

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, old

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

, and at

RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

President Obama's "Real HU" remarks

The rivalry is well-known and has been referenced by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. During his 2010 commencement address at Hampton, President Obama quipped, "Now, before we get started, I just want to say, I’m excited the Battle of the Real H.U. will be taking place in Washington this year. (''laughter'') You know I am not going to pick sides. (''laughter'') But my understanding is it's been 13 years since the Pirates lost. (''applause'') As one Hampton alum on my staff put it, the last time Howard beat Hampton, The

Fugees Fugees (; sometimes The Fugees) is an American hip hop group formed in the early 1990s. Deriving its name from a shortening of the word "refugees", the group consists of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill. The group rose to fame with its ...

were still together." At the time, Hampton was in the midst of a series long 14-game win streak.

Vice President Kamala Harris

U.S. Vice President

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

attended the 2021 Football Game between Howard & Hampton. Vice President Harris is a Howard University Alum, Class of 1986. Hampton won the game 48–32.

Game results

References

{{Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football rivalry navbox College football rivalries in the United States Howard Bison football Hampton Pirates football Black college football classics

President Obama's "Real HU" remarks

Vice President Kamala Harris

Game results

See also

References