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Thanksgiving Weekend November 24-26,2023
ARMSTRONG/WALKER
Football Classic
SHARING OUR LEGACY
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25
HALL OF FAME BANQUET
CLICK HERE FOR FLYER AND INFO​
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25
THE PARADE 10AM FOOTBALL GAME & TAILGATE 12PM - 5PM
BON SECOIURS TRAINING CENTER
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26
HOUR OF POWER 10AM
ARMSTRONG HIGH SCHOOL
The Armstrong vs. Walker Football Classic 1938 -1978
NOT JUST A GAME
To commemorate the legacy of the State of Virginia’s greatest annual high school rivalry football game the “Armstrong Walker Classic”, the City of Richmond, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center and alumni of both Maggie L Walker and Armstrong High schools have come together to present the 2nd Annual “Armstrong Walker Football Classic Legacy Project”. The project will be a month long celebration of this era with the parade, tailgate and other activities taking place on Thanksgiving weekend 2023.
The beauty of this project is the two high school’s alumni are working together, engaging the City of Richmond’s youth through the Richmond Public Schools and the Department of Parks and Recreation.
This project helps preserve, educate and advance the history of Richmond’s jewel of the past that meant so much to the black community and enriched the city of Richmond for over 40 years. It captures the spirit of that special game that took place annually on Thanksgiving Saturday from 1938-1978.
The parade route will change this year.
Parade route starts at G W Carver Elementary School (Oak and Leigh Streets) marching up to The Bon Secours Training Center, 2401 W Leigh Street Richmond, VA.
The Park & Rec Football Game and Tailgate Party will take place at The Bon Secours Training Center,.
The parade, game and tailgate is a community event free to the public.
AWFC LEGACY PROJECT
Chair
Dr. Howard Hopkins former AD and football coach Maggie Walker - hhophome@comcast.net
Old School Tailgate Page
1. Black History Museum of History and Culture (October 18th - November 23rd)
A special exhibition will be on display where the public will be able to see and learn about the history of the only two schools that African American students could attend and the pride and impact of“The Classic.”
2. The Armstrong / Walker Football Classic Legacy Project Parade (Saturday, Novembr 25, 10:00am) – This 3rd Annual parade will start at G W Carver Elementary School (Oak and Leigh Streets) marching up to the Bon Secours Training Center, 2401 W Leigh Street Richmond, VA.The parade and will be used to help teach the special games history to the young, create an annual free public event for all ages and bring back to the city a spirit of unity to the Black community. The parade will feature the two schools alumni former football players, former cheerleaders, former queens, marching bands, elected officials, businesses, civic groups, youth groups, youth football teams, youth cheerleaders, custom cars, antique cars. The Black community needs something big and special to call theirs. We plan to make the parade a fundraiser to contribute to various RVA community programs and charities in the future.
4. The Armstrong / Walker Football Classic “Old School Tailgate” (Saturday, November 26, 12noon-5:00pm) – at The Bon Secours Training Center All activities will be free and food trucks will be invited. Alumni will be permitted to bring big coolers to provide their own food.
5.The Armstrong / Walker “Pee Wee” Football Classic Championship Games (first game (8 yrs old and under) at 12:30pm followed by 12yr old ) A doubleheader peewee Park & Recreation back to back football championship games played at Armstrong High School Football Field.
Join us in supporting the start of the 3nd Annual Armstrong / Walker Football Classic Legacy Project and Parade. This project shares the history of this amazing “Classic” that lasted for 40 years. Tailgating, merchandise vendors, resource vendors, Armstrong Walker history on display, music, Parks and Recreation game in honor of the Classic, lots of food, fun, rekindled friendships, & meeting new friends. No donation is too small or too large! Support the spirit of the classic.
This year we will kick off the project with a Parade, Tailgating, and Richmond Parks Recreation Pee Wee Football Games (dressed in Orange Blue and Green, Gold & White). There will be music, dancing, honoring past Notable Alumni, and more.
The plan is that each year the project will continue to grow and raise funds for RPS athletics, arts, and/or STEM programs, community youth programs, and scholarships. This year we are proud to partner with the Black History Museum of History and Culture with an exhibit displaying the history of these schools and the history of the classic over forty years. We will also have a series of community service projects in November
For every donation of $100 or more we will list your name / business as a sponsor of the Second Annual Armstrong Walker Football Classic Legacy Project. There are four levels of sponsorship. General $101.00 to $499 / Silver $500 to $999 / Gold $1000 – $999.00 / Platinum $1500 or more. Each level receives recognition on all. promotional materials, banners and certain other perks depending on amount of donation.
After all expenses are covered, funds will be donated to Richmond Parks and Recreation for youth football and summer camp programming and used for the 2023 AWFC Legacy Project. Please join us in making this an incredible day to remember and to share our rich history.
AWFC LEGACY PROJECT PO BOX 25849 RICHMOND VA 23260
or ZELLE TO armstrongwalkerclassiclegacy@gmail.com
SUPPORT THE LEGACY
OUR HISTORY
For more than 40 years, Armstrong High School and Maggie Walker High School met on the gridiron on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to play football. As the City’s only two Black high schools at the time, the event became a spirited reunion and a staple for the African American community in Richmond.
THE FIRST MEETING December 2, 1938 The first Armstrong–Maggie Walker game wasn’t even on the schedule in 1938. In fact, of the two soon-to-be rivals, only Armstrong had a schedule. Maggie Walker was in its initial year as a school, and while Coach Arthur “Stretch” Gardner was helping teach skills of the game to his young, inexperienced group, which was eager to learn, no games were planned. Practice was nothing more than preparation for the 1939 season. But two weeks before Thanksgiving, Gardner, urged by his players, approached Armstrong coach Maxie Robinson about the possibility of a game between the schools. The Wildcat staff, including Harry Williams, worked out the details, and Friday, December 2, was chosen as the date. Hovey Field, on the campus of Virginia Union University, was the site. On the afternoon of the game, the Walker squad walked down the street, and Armstrong’s Wildcats, wearing their distinctive orange and blue uniforms, traveled from Prentis and Leigh, along with between two and five thousand spectators (depending on whom you asked), to the field. Unfortunately, no one in the media was there to report the outcome. When the teams met, Armstrong had enjoyed a successful 5-2-0 season, which included a win over rival Peabody of Petersburg. Walker on the other hand, had to borrow fifteen to twenty red and white (the official school colors were green and white) uniforms from a local recreation center to field its team.
(Excerpt from the book "UNITED IN RIVALRY" by Michael Whitt 2009)
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