Event Summary The Ohio Classic was a college football game played annually between two teams from historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's). The Ohio Classic was held before the start of each college football season and used to rotate between Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland and Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. In September 2005, organizers selected Cleveland as a permanent location. The Ohio Classic was held over a weekend, with the game itself played on the Saturday. Concerts, educational events and other attractions highlighted the Ohio Classic Weekend. The Ohio Classic's flagship program was called the "End Zone Club", a year-round education program for students in grades 7 through 12. Participants in the program were dubbed Community Quarterbacks, to reaffirm the expectation of personal leadership. End Zone Club criteria includes proficiency, as well as ACT & SAT test tutoring. Community Quarterbacks received instruction about scheduling college preparatory courses, completing financial aid and college admissions forms. The Ohio Classic had its inaugural year in 2003, when more than 45,000 fans attended the event in Cleveland. History The Cincinnati Business Courier published an article in September 2004 chronicling the history of the Procter & Gamble Ohio Classic, including the organization’s financial position. The Business Courier reported that the Ohio Classic was originally named the Riverfront Classic taking the moniker of Cincinnati—the host city. John Pace and his partners started the Riverfront Classic with $150,000 in seed money. Pace projected that the Riverfront Classic could lose as much as $900,000 in 1999, break even by 2001 and yield net revenue every year thereafter. City officials projected that the Riverfront Classic could generate an annual economic impact of $15 million for Cincinnati. Due to a scheduling conflict with the Cincinnati Bengals in May 2003, the Riverfront Classic became the Ohio Classic and rotated between Cincinnati and Cleveland. Event Cancelled The cost of producing a football Classic showcasing Historically Black Colleges and Universities more than doubled between 1999 and 2005. The increase can be attributed to 3 factors. Factor 1: Division 1 programs like The Ohio State University and Nebraska began to schedule games against Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Ohio State University guaranteed Florida A&M University $900,000 and Nebraska guaranteed Bethune-Cookman $800,000 according to Nebraska athletics. Pace said that prior to playing these Big Ten schools, Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M University played in the Classic and each university received a guarantee of $250,000.