Game program and newspapers for the 40th Bayou Classic: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The front cover features a full-page color illustration depicting football players and marching band members from Grambling State and Southern University. There are grey and red stripes going across the top it reads [BAYOU] on the proper right and [CLASSIC] on the proper left. There is a black section above the stripes. There is a white number “40” at the top center. It is outlined in black and gold. There is a circular Bayou Classic on top of the “40”. It is red on the top and black at the bottom. It has white text which reads [BAYOU CLASSIC / GRAMBLING SOUTHERN]. There is a gold fleur-de-lis in between “Grambling” and “Southern”. The center of the circle is white, with a blue silhouette of the state of Louisiana. There is a color depiction of the faces of a tiger and a jaguar biting the ends of a football. The tiger is on the proper right side and the jaguar is on the proper left side. There is yellow text in the center of the football. It reads [SINCE / 1974]. There are grey and red stripes along the bottom of the cover. They have text which reads [MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANNA / SOUTHERN VS GRAMBLING].

The table of contents inside the program includes a welcome letter, a schedule of events, a section about Grambling State, and a section about Southern University. Part of the program also features a special edition of Essence magazine. The “Essence” section of the program is upside-down and starts with the back cover. The headline on the back cover reads [young, BLACK & Amazing!].

(b) and (c) Two identical newspaper inserts for 40th Bayou Classic program.

The background of the front covers is gradient blue, going from darker at the top to lighter at the bottom. There is a Southern University logo in the top proper right corner, and a Grambling State logo in the top proper left corner. There is white and red text at the top which reads [SOUTHERN vs. GRAMBLING / NOVEMBER 30, 2013 | MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME]. There is a large white number “40” near the top center of the cover. It is outlined in black and red. There is a circular Bayou Classic on top of the “40”. It is red on the top and black at the bottom. It has white text which reads [BAYOU CLASSIC / GRAMBLING SOUTHERN]. There is a gold fleur-de-lis in between “Grambling” and “Southern”. The center of the circle is white, with a blue silhouette of the state of Louisiana. There is a color depiction of the faces of a tiger and a jaguar biting the ends of a football. The tiger is on the proper right side and the jaguar is on the proper left side. There is yellow text in the center of the football. It reads [SINCE / 1974]. The bottom of the cover includes a color image on the bottom proper right side. It depicts a Grambling State and Southern University football player, both reaching for a football. The image partially covers the Bayou Classic logo. There is white text in the bottom proper left corner. It reads [THE / ADVOCATE / Saturday, November 23, 2013 / © Capital City Press / An Advertising Special Section]. There is a white border around the cover.

There is a large color illustration of Grambling State and Southern University football players and marching band members on the insides of the cover. The newspapers contains ads and articles about the Bayou Classic.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2013
• Distributed by: Bayou Classic, founded 1974
• Subject of: Grambling State University, American, founded 1901
• Subject of: Southern University and A&M College, American, founded 1880
• Published by: Essence Magazine, American, founded 1970
• Type: newspapers
• Type: programs
• Medium: ink on paper and newsprint with metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D (a.): 11 × 8 3/8 × 1/4 in. (27.9 × 21.3 × 0.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (b.): 12 × 10 1/2 in. (30.5 × 26.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (c.): 12 × 10 1/2 in. (30.5 × 26.7 cm)
• Place depicted: Grambling, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
• Place used: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Football
• Topic: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• Topic: Sports
• Object number: 2015.75.1abc
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dottie Belletto
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Use restricted Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.