On Saturday, history will be made in the city of Monroe. The Tigers of Grambling State University will take on the University of Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks for the first time in history.Some claim this eagerly anticipated game has been contemplated since 1941 when the late coach Eddie Robinson took over Grambling’s football team. Some say it started in 1985 when Robinson defeated the Division I-A Oregon State Beavers and tied Bear Bryant’s record for the most wins by an NCAA coach.
This game seems to be an event to remember, judging by the lack of tickets on GSU’s side. “The game is going to be really exciting and the whole school is going to be there,” said senior Gernard Hill. “It’s no surprise if tickets sell out before the game starts.”
Although the population of both schools combined barely reaches 15,000, the 30,427 seats Malone Stadium located on the campus of ULM is speculated to sell out well before kickoff time.
Even though both schools are made up of different cultural backgrounds, they have more in common than the average person may think. ULM, who previously was a member of the I-AA Southland Conference, joined the Division I-A Sunbelt conference on July 1, 2006, which put them in the same category as teams such as University of Louisiana Lafayette and the University of North Texas.
Although the school is in a prestigious Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conference, the Warhawks are struggling this year with a 3-6 season while Grambling’s G-Men are 8-1 with the only loss being to the University of Pittsburg.
Many analyst believe that Grambling is a member of a easier I-AA Southwest Athletic Conference, but sport lovers have to keep in mind that GSU has claimed the conference championship four times since the turn of the century, and are well on their way to a fifth title in December. Sabella Maxwell feels that Grambling is going to show up loud and proud this Saturday. “We are going to show ULM what GSU is all about,” he said.
Many people feel that the game will go to the mighty G-Men and others feel that the Warhawks will take the cake. Only one thing is for sure, the weather is going to be great, the atmosphere will be exciting and Saturday, one school is going to emerge with bragging rights for the first time. All eyes are going to be on North Louisiana this Saturday.