Family Feud? Nope, This is HBCU Jeopardy!
The Honda Campus All Stars Challenge, its history and involvement with promoting HBCUS through competitive academia and its connection to Morehouse College
Honda and its partners do a great job promoting black excellence with the annual Honda Battle of the Bands. Each year fans, students and alumni get a chance to listen to their favorite band on the field. What many do no know is that the bands are only one aspect of the festivities that Honda uses to showcase HBCUs.
Honda Battle of the Bands Weekend, is important for many reasons. The main tenet of the weekend is the community that Historically Black Colleges and Universities alike connect to in an effort to promote their institution to prospective students from all across the country. These renowned institutions showcase what they have to offer and continue holding the mantle, proving that education is instrumental to the future. This is done in the name of music and academics, but that is not all. Imagine a game similar to “Jeopardy” but with teammates who are all HBCU students or alumni.
In 1989, Honda joined with the College Bowl Company to establish the HCASC in support of the unique mission of America’s HBCUs. Honda’s commitment to HBCUs and their communities demonstrates their belief that success is not measured only in the cars they produce, but in the lives they enhance.
Thus, the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge was born.
During its first season in 1989 and until 1995, HCASC used to be televised on BET. The 90s were huge for HBCUs, with attendance and exposure at an all-time high throughout the decade. With the existence of shows such as “A Different World,” black colleges were the top choice for many minority students.
With HBCUS as west as Texas and as north as New York, only 48 institutions make it to the annual national tournament in California. Those remaining schools battle it out with their brains and teamwork in round-robin, then single elimination games until a champion is determined.
Over the years, Honda has awarded more than $8 million to participating teams in the competition. With only $1,000 awarded to teams competing in qualifying tournaments to as much as $75,000 awarded to the national champs. Those funds can go towards a variety of needs for the represented institutions, such as student programs, scholarships, and infrastructure.
On Feb. 12 Honda announced their first 48 in a Mardi Gras-themed special since it was Fat Tuesday. Once again Morehouse College was named among the finalist. Morehouse has had a phenomenal history in HCASC as four-time champions and appearing in 13 final fours while racking up almost half million dollars in grants.
Morehouse also has storied rivalries with HBCUs like Tuskegee, Florida A&M, and Oakwood University that have won multiple championships as well. Former player turned coach Robert Myrick pictured to the right has taken over since the 2014–2015 season. A 2013 graduate of Morehouse, Myrick played four seasons and now as coach is trying put Morehouse back on top of the mountain of HCASC.
As Morehouse and the other 47 colleges look for a national championship, the tournament will live streamed through different social media outlets when it takes place April 7–11 at the Honda headquarters in California.
In the essence of the competition, people learn about these Historical Black Colleges and Universities, and what it is that makes them great. It gives these students an atmosphere to show their brain power while building the essential skill of teamwork. All in the name of black excellence and academia.
Roderick Diamond, Junior attending Morehouse College
