HBCU Football: Charlie Neal's Hall of Fame Omission, OBC Viewership, Prairie View's Brand

HOUSTON - Week 1 of the 2026 HBCU football season delivered statement wins on the field, especially by Prairie View A&M. The next measure of the Labor Day weekend comes from the television viewership numbers for the Orange Blossom Classic. First Take announced its 2026 HBCU Tour, and how could Charlie Neal be omitted from the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

OBC-PV BRAND-FIRST TAKE - CHARLIE NEAL | OBC, HBCU LEGENDS, HBCU GO, ESPN

WHERE’S CHARLIE NEAL?

One of the greatest voices in college sports died in May. Charlie Neal spent five decades as the voice of Black college sports. He called games and served as executive producer for sports during 24 years at BET, then worked for CBS Sports, Turner Sports, and ESPN, where he called the first football game in ESPNU history in 2005. His final assignments were in the booth at HBCU GO, broadcasting the digital network's sports programs.

So it came as a surprise when the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2026 on Sept. 9, and Neal was omitted among the 10 inductees, even posthumously.

The class includes Troy Aikman, Bob Iger, Robert Kraft, Tom Rinaldi and Dick Stockton, along with ESPN replay pioneer Jim Dove and NBC Olympics production and engineering leaders Chip Adams, Jim Eady, Bucky Gunts and Charlie Jablonski. The induction ceremony is Dec. 15 at the New York Hilton.

Charlie Neal | Credit: HBCU Legends, Kyle T. Mosley

ESPN PR marked the announcement with a post: "Congrats to our industry legends named to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Class of '26."

Neal was an industry legend, too. He entered the MEAC Hall of Fame in 2009, the CIAA Hall of Fame in 2011, the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2013, and the SWAC Hall of Fame in 2024.

In 2023, the National Football Foundation gave him the Chris Schenkel Award for excellence in college football broadcasting. He was the first recipient from the HBCU ranks.

That award's namesake offers a road map that should not be ignored. The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inducted Schenkel posthumously in 2021, 16 years after the longtime ABC Sports voice died.

A voting committee of more than 175 industry professionals, including past Hall of Famers, elects each class. Ken Aagaard chairs the Hall.

The SWAC, MEAC, CIAA, and SIAC, the four conferences whose games Neal carried to national audiences, should formally ask that he be considered for the Class of 2027.

HBCU Legends will petition Aagaard to do the same.

Charlie Neal belongs.

Views from the 2026 Denny's Orange Blossom Classic | OBC, FAMU Athletics

Did Weather delays affect Orange Blossom Classic, Labor Day Classic?

Weather delays interrupted two of the weekend's marquee games on Sunday, Sept. 6. During Prairie View A&M's 52-14 rout of Texas Southern in the 41st Labor Day Classic, the game was halted for nearly an hour due to lightning strikes near Panther Stadium.

A first-quarter lightning delay also halted South Carolina State's 31-13 win over Florida A&M in the Denny's Orange Blossom Classic at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Those broadcasts, along with Johnson C. Smith's 27-7 win over Albany State in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic in Canton, Ohio, give networks and event organizers fresh data as they weigh future HBCU football programming.

The first reported number is strong. ESPN's broadcast of the Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic averaged 359,338 viewers, the game's organizers told HBCU Legends.

That figure may understate the audience. The weather delay disrupted ESPN's programming schedule and pushed part of the broadcast to ESPN2, and organizers expect the channel switch to pull the average down.

Even so, the growth from 2025 is significant. Last year's Classic, Howard's 10-9 win over Florida A&M on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, aired on ESPNU and reached more than 30,000 viewers while competing against a crowded Saturday college football slate.

The 2026 game also had a bigger stage.

Organizers moved the Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic to Sunday on ESPN, out of ESPNU's Saturday lineup, and it matched the two reigning HBCU national championship coaches - Chennis Berry (South Carolina State/HBCU DI) and Quinn F. Gray Sr. (last season Albany State/HBCU DII).

Jackson and Goff at 41st Labor Day Classic — Aug. 6, 2026; Prairie View A&M head coach Tremaine Jackson and athletic director Anton Goff at the 41st Labor Day Classic in Prairie View, Texas at Panther Stadium. | Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends on SI

Prairie View A&M: Growing the brand

Equally important will be the viewership report for the 41st Labor Day Classic between Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern. Those numbers have not been released.

For Prairie View A&M, the rating will serve as a barometer for the athletic program.

"Growing the brand is huge for me," Prairie View A&M athletic director Anton Goff told Johnnie Cole, Rocky Miller, and Steven Campbell on the Coaches Corner podcast. "I want our brand to be nationwide."

Prairie View A&M coach Tremaine Jackson also stressed the value of national exposure before the game. The 11 a.m. CT kickoff on ESPN2 gave the Panthers and Tigers a Sunday window without another college football game competing for the audience. It was also the first Labor Day Classic played in daylight since 2019.

The defending SWAC champions made the most of the stage, keeping the Durley-Nicks Trophy with their second straight Classic win. Now the ratings will show whether that window delivered the nationwide visibility Goff desires for his football program.

2026 HBCU Tour - First Take | Courtesy: ESPN

“First Take" HBCU Tour heads to Virginia State and Tuskegee

According to ESPN PR's announcement, "First Take" will broadcast from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, on Oct. 9 and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, on Nov. 6.

Featured commentator and executive producer Stephen A. Smith and host Shae Cornette will lead the broadcasts. ESPN said the participating schools and dates are subject to change.

The stops will spotlight two Division II institutions. Virginia State competes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, while Tuskegee belongs to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

ESPN's HBCU Tour connections date to 2019

ESPN has supported the "First Take" HBCU Tour initiative since 2019, bringing the show to campuses and events celebrating HBCU culture.

Previous appearances include HBCU Week at the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2019; Florida A&M with comedian Kevin Hart and film producer Will Packer in 2021; and HBCU Week at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in 2022.

The show visited Smith's alma mater, Winston-Salem State, in 2023.

According to ESPN's announcement, last year's itinerary included Norfolk State, the Magic City Classic, Delaware State, and Bethune-Cookman.

"First Take" airs weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on ESPN.

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