Aspire To Air Live HBCU College Football Games

Aspire will team with Urban Sports & Entertainment Group to televise 11 live and encore Historically Black College & University (HBCU) college football games beginning this Saturday.

The Magic Johnson-founded network will carry six live HBCU college football games, including the Sept. 6 Inaugural Classic game between Alabama State and Tennessee State; the Oct. 11 Tuskegee/Morehouse contest, and the Nov. 15 CIAA Championship Game, said network officials.

The schedule also features at least two appearances by the CIAA’s Winston-Salem State University Rams as well as five best-of black college football games under the banner HBCU Playback Game of the Week hosted by commentators Rashan Ali and Doug Stewart.

“We are proud to bring Historically Black College & University (HBCU) college football back to Aspire with an expanded schedule of highly-anticipated, key match-ups,” said Paul Butler, general manager, Aspire.  “We’re excited to work with Urban Sports & Entertainment Group again and to welcome sports commentators Rashan Ali and Doug Stewart to the Aspire family.”

Aspire’s HBCU College Football telecast schedule is as follows:

Sept. 6th -- Alabama State vs. Tennessee State (Inaugural Classic), Montgomery, AL – 5:00 p.m. EDT (exclusive)
Sept. 13th -- HBCU Playback Game of the Week – 1999 Gold Coast Classic: Grambling State vs. Winston-Salem – 6:00 p.m. EDT – Hosted by Rashan Ali and Doug Stewart
Sept. 20th-- Winston-Salem vs. Tuskegee, Winston-Salem, NC - 6:00 p.m. EDT (exclusive)
Sept. 27th HBCU Playback Game of the Week – 2007 CIAA Football Championship: Shaw University vs. Virginia Union  –6:00 p.m. EDT – Hosted by Rashan Ali and Doug Stewart
Oct. 4th--HBCU Playback Game of the Week – 2002 Tuskegee Morehouse Classic:  Tuskegee vs. Morehouse – 6:00 p.m. EDT – Hosted by Rashan Ali and Doug Stewart
Oct. 11th--Tuskegee vs. Morehouse (Classic), Columbus, GA  – 5:00 p.m. EDT (exclusive)
Oct. 18th--Winston-Salem vs. St. Augustine (Homecoming) – 1:30 p.m. EDT
Oct. 25th--HBCU Playback Game of the Week – 1997 Carolina Classic: NC Central vs. Winston-Salem – 1:30 pm EDT – Hosted by Rashan Ali and Doug Stewart
Nov. 1st— HBCU Playback Game of the Week – 1994 Hampton University  vs. Norfolk State – 1:30 EDT – Hosted by Rashan Ali and Doug Stewart
November 8th--Virginia Union vs. Virginia State  – 1:30 p.m. EST
November 15th—CIAA Championship Game

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.