There was plenty of eating, dancing, and fellowship outside Legion Field for the annual battle between Alabama A&M and Alabama State.
Published: Oct. 25, 2025, 6:03 p.m.Sarah Whites-KoditschekMaury Pettway watched a small alligator cooking on the rotisserie of his grill tailgating outside of Legion Field Saturday. He said at last year’s Magic City Classic he cooked four alligators, but this year he could only find one.
He ordered online from Florida and had it shipped with dry ice to his home in Birmingham. “The first one I cooked, all the kids ate it,” and the “grown ups were out,” he said. This year that has changed. “When the grown ups find out about it now, they first in line.” On the same grill is the alligator’s tail and spare ribs he made for friends. Alabama State was taking on Alabama A&M at the game Saturday. “It’s not really about the game. It’s about the vibes, the energy, the history, the community,” said Michael Bradford of Birmingham. “The game is the last thing on people’s mind. We want to see the halftime show more than we want to see the game.” The halftime show was a battle of marching bands. Tailgaters outside the game sat beneath tents, danced, and ate. Vendors sold items from team T-shirts to cowboy hats to organic juice. Some groups rented golf carts to drive around outside the arena. “This is the HBCU Classic. It’s the biggest event for a Black person that lives in Alabama,” said his friend Harriston Millner. “This may be debatable, but for me it’s facts, the biggest classic in the country is the Magic City Classic.”The Magic City Classic attracts a crowd of about 60,000 people, according to its website. Candi Gholson was at the Magic City Classic for the first time Saturday. She met some friends in Atlanta this summer and they convinced her to come from Memphis. She said Friday they went to a day party and a cigar bar last night. “A whole lot of culture, a whole lot of love. Black love. So we just enjoying ourselves,” she said as she drank a tequila drink out of a cut open pineapple near the stand where she bought it. Roland Harry of Birmingham stood on a long trailer tending a row of grills cooking 130 slabs of barbeque ribs for friends and family.He cooks every year at the Magic City Classic but said he’s not the best cook in his family, “Not by a long shot.”If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
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