HBCU Football Takes Over St. Croix: A Historic Showdown

HBCU Football history is set to be made in St. Croix! This landmark game brings an HBCU team to the Caribbean for an unforgettable sporting event.

HBCU CLASSIC - ST CROIX | YES

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HOUSTON, Tx — History will be made this weekend as the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons take on the Fort Lauderdale Eagles in the inaugural Y.E.S. HBCU Football Classic, the first-ever HBCU football game to be played in the Caribbean. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Complex Education Center Field in St. Croix.

The event, organized by Young Entrepreneurz Solutions (Y.E.S.) founder Ernest Ruffin, marks another milestone in Ruffin’s mission to spotlight HBCU athletics in unique, international settings.

“It’s a beautiful football field,” Ruffin told HBCU Legends. “The schools will arrive on the 13th. We’ll have a welcome reception and all that good stuff. On the 14th, both teams will practice in the morning, and after practice, we’re hosting a free clinic where the coaches will teach Virgin Islands high school kids some basic football skills.”

HBCU CLASSIC - ST CROIX | YES

Leading the Dragons is veteran head coach and athletic director Tim Newman, who also happens to have two of his sons, Tim Newman Jr. and Jacob Newman, suiting up on offense. The family dynamic adds a personal touch to this groundbreaking matchup.

“I’m so glad that God smiled and shined down on our football team to get this kind of exposure,” Newman said. “To have a chance to play somewhere as warm and beautiful as St. Croix — and to share that with my sons — is a grand finale moment for us.”

Virginia Lynchburg running backs (l) #1 Jacob Newman and #0 Tim Newman Jr. | Coach Newman

The Dragons will be without standout freshman quarterback Max Zavala, who will miss the trip, but junior quarterback Nico Cleaves and sophomore signal-caller Jabari Ruise are expected to share duties under center when they face the Eagles.

Newman says his team is focused on balancing business with pleasure. “We’re super excited about taking care of business first,” he added, “and then we’ll have two days to just enjoy the island. We’re really looking forward to that.”

RB Jacob Newman, Coach Tim Newman Sr., RB Tim Newman Jr. | Coach Tim Newman

The Classic follows Ruffin’s growing track record of bringing HBCU sports to the U.S. Virgin Islands. In December, Y.E.S. will return for the 2025 Virgin Islands HBCU Basketball Tournament, set for Dec. 11–15 at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas. That tournament will feature programs from Southern University–New Orleans, Dillard, Clinton College, Virginia Union, Fort Valley State, Wilberforce, University of Fort Lauderdale, and St. Thomas University.

Virginia University of Lynchburg enters Saturday’s contest with recent bragging rights, having defeated Fort Lauderdale 42–19 in their last meeting on Oct. 14, 2023.

This time, though, the stakes are higher, and the setting, much sunnier, as two proud programs look to make HBCU football history under the Caribbean sun.

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