Blue–Gray Football Classic

Blue–Gray Football Classic (defunct)
Stadium	Movie Gallery Stadium
Location	Troy, Alabama
Previous stadiums	Cramton Bowl
Previous locations	Montgomery, Alabama
Operated	1939–2001, 2003

The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama usually on Christmas Day. It began in 1939 and held annually through 2001 at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama under the auspices of the Montgomery Lions Club. The game was not contested in 2002 and was subsequently revived in 2003 at Movie Gallery Stadium in Troy, Alabama. However, the game was discontinued because it lacked a major sponsor after that year. The idea for the game was developed by Champ Pickens.

The format, unsurprisingly given the Classic's name, pitted players who attended college in the states of the former Confederacy, the "Grays," who wore white jerseys, against players who attended school in the northern half of the country, the "Blues," who wore blue jerseys, and also sometimes including players from western teams. Both teams wore gray pants. Only seniors played in this game, because it was their first venture into professional football, as they were paid for their participation.

The game had an interesting and somewhat checkered history. It was almost always the first major college all-star game of the year. For this reason, it was difficult to get some of the truly big-name collegiate stars, because many of them were preparing at the same time for bowl games with their regular teams. Also, many potential players preferred to spend Christmas at home.

In recent years, therefore, most of the players had been players from teams with losing records and from smaller schools which do not play NCAA Division I football. The Classic gave these players an opportunity to be noticed by NFL scouts and others who may not have had the opportunity to observe them previously. Most such players now attend the NFL Combine for evaluation.

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