FAMU Military and Concert Band, circa 1929 Marching 100 performing inside the Florida State Capitol during FAMU Day
The band directors who sustain these programs are teachers and custodians of a cultural tradition passed from one generation of students to another.
FAMU ' s band legacy was shaped in large part by longtime band director Dr. William P. Foster, who transformed the Marching“ 100” into an internationally recognized model of HBCU musicianship. Its precision, pageantry and innovation helped make the band— and FAMU itself— a cultural institution with influence far beyond Tallahassee.
At Bethune-Cookman, the Marching Wildcats have become an equally powerful expression of university pride and identity.
Known as“ The Pride” and“ The Heartbeat of B-CU,” the Marching Wildcats have developed a national reputation of their own. Their precision, powerful sound and high-energy showmanship have taken them from NFL halftime performances and the Honda Battle of the Bands to national television and popular culture. The band appeared in the film Drumline and later became the subject of the television series Marching Orders, giving audiences an inside look at the discipline and demanding preparation behind the performances. Its drum majors and 14KT Gold Dancers have become recognizable parts of the B-CU tradition.
An Enduring Institution
That may ultimately explain why the Florida Classic matters.
More than 2 million spectators have attended since the modern Classic began. Today, the weekend brings students, alumni, families and friends together through football, reunions, tailgating, music and celebration. Importantly, the participating universities own the Classic through the Florida
Classic Consortium, with net proceeds supporting scholarships and academic opportunities.
On November 21, 2026, the Rattlers and Wildcats will meet again at Orlando ' s Camping World Stadium. There will be touchdowns and tackles, drum majors and brass sections, school colors and family rivalries.
But underneath the spectacle is something remarkably stable.
America changed. Segregation fell. Universities
integrated. Professional opportunities expanded. A larger Black middle class emerged. Generations moved from classrooms in Tallahassee and Daytona Beach into boardrooms, laboratories, classrooms, courtrooms, studios, government offices and communities across the nation. Yet FAMU and Bethune-Cookman remained. That endurance is not nostalgia. It is evidence of institutional purpose. Across generations, the rivalry between these universities has reflected the evolving possibilities of Black life in Florida. The Florida Classic therefore celebrates more than who wins the game. It celebrates institutions that helped generations imagine what winning in life could look like. possibilities of Black life in Florida. The Florida Classic therefore celebrates more than who wins the game. It celebrates institutions that helped generations imagine what winning in life could look like.
And when the final whistle blows and the bands play on, that may be the Classic ' s most enduring victory. E
Dr. Nashid Madyun serves as Executive Director of Florida Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. A historian, writer and cultural leader, he has held influential leadership roles in arts, culture, and education.
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