PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M University Panther football team embarks upon the 37^th Annual Labor Day Classic Saturday night, hosting the Texas Southern University Tigers for their contest of the 2022 season.

Although the first game between the two schools was in 1947, the classic series began in 1985 as the Tigers leads the series 20-16.  Since then the two schools have competed for the Durley-Nicks trophy named after the two most legendary coaches from both schools. Alexander Durley is the winningest head football coach in Texas Southern football history. Billy Nicks, Sr. won five mythical black college national championships (last being in 1968) as head coach at Prairie View A&M.

The highly anticipated game not only features competition on the field, but also the battle of the bands between Texas Southern's Ocean of Soul and Prairie View's Marching Storm.

Kickoff in Panther Stadium is set for 6 p.m., while festivities will begin with Panther Walk at 3:25 p.m. in front of the MSC at the Panther.  Tickets for the game are still available online at pvpanthers.com or at the gates beginning at 4 p.m.

First year head football Coach Leonard McDowell and the Panthers will set the stage under the lights as they have returned majority fo the 2021 squad. The Panthers are coming off a 2021 season in which they claimed the SWAC western division title and an opportunity to compete in the Championship game finishing the season 7-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play.  Texas Southern is coming off of a 3-8 overall season and finished 2-6 in the conference.

Saturday's game will mark the first of four that will be featured on an ESPN network. 

Keep up with all the latest news and information for PVAMU athletics by following pvpanthers.com as well as through Twitter via the PVAMU general sports account (@PVAMUPanthers). You can also follow along on Instagram.com/pvamupanthers.  Check us out on Snap @pvamuathletics.