NASHVILLE — It's the annual game that brings out the barbecue grills, fish fries, and fellowship. It's a community revival of sorts and a North Nashville family reunion wrapped into one – the John Merritt Classic. Though it brings thousands from across the city and region to Tennessee State University, it all started years ago with one man – John Merritt, the coach who took Tennessee State to its highest level of football in the program's history.

Merritt, affectionately known as "Big John", dominated and revolutionized the game of football during his coaching career compiling a record of 172-33-7 at TSU and 232-65-11 overall. Merritt's signature cigar smoke after wins is still remembered by his former players and the Big Blue Nation.

One of his former players, Maurice Fitzgerald is a retired high school coach in Nashville. Fitzgerald was the first walk-on to get a scholarship from Merritt. Fitzgerald remembers vividly the day he walked into Merritt's office and was told the news that his parents wouldn't have to pay his college tuition anymore.

"That room was filled with smoke, and I could barely see him," said Fitzgerald. "He told me to call my mama and tell her to throw a parade because this hadn't happened before. The man had so much charisma. He was ahead of his time. If the NIL was available back then, we would have all been millionaires. I would say that he was also the greatest recruiter of all time. It was an art when he would go into someone's home. To this day, I pattern a lot of what I do from him. He was truly one of a kind."

Merritt built a powerful program that produced NFL stars like "Jefferson Street" Joe Gilliam (Pittsburgh Steelers), Richard Dent and Wamon Bryant (Chicago Bears), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (Dallas Cowboys), Claude Humphrey (Philadelphia Eagles), Ken Pettiford (LA Rams), Larry Howse (Seattle Seahawks) and many others.

Throughout his career, Merritt continued to enhance the university's rich football tradition, completing four undefeated seasons, and winning six national championships and four black college football titles. Along with an excellent staff of assistant coaches, including Joe Gilliam Sr. and Alvin Coleman who had accompanied Merritt to TSU from Jackson State in 1963, he implemented a wide-open pro-type "T" offense with multiple sets.

In 1967, Merritt's team achieved a national defensive record for allowing opponents an average of 2.15 yards per carry. One year later, he was named the NCAA 1AA Coach of the Year. Merritt's team was named "Small College Champions" by the Associated Press and the United Press International in 1975. Merritt modestly downplayed his role in the team's success and attributed the team's winning record to "the Good Lord."
 
In 1982, the city of Nashville named John A. Merritt Boulevard (old Centennial Boulevard between Twenty-eighth and Forty-fourth Avenues) in his honor. By then, Merritt was experiencing health issues. On December 13, 1983, Big John passed away. He was inducted posthumously into the National College Football Hall of Fame on December 6, 1994.

This season the classic will be played at Hale Stadium. The opponent will be fellow HBCU foe Lane College. The John Merritt Classic was established in 1999 and the Tigers have a 16-6 record in the John Merritt Classic.
 

YEAR	ATTENDANCE	OPPONENT	RESULT/SCORE
1999	31,119	Alabama State	W, 41-8
2000	20,463	Alabama State	W, 39-13
2001	22,000	Alabama State	W, 27-6
2002	18,652	Prairie View A&M	W, 41-8
2003	18,124	South Carolina St.	W, 37-20
2004	25,117	Alabama A&M	W, 42-7
2005	25,342	Alabama A&M	L, 14-27
2006	19,487	Alabama A&M	L, 20-27
2007	23,440	Alabama A&M	L, 23-49
2008	28,830	Southern	W, 34-32
2009	23,871	Alabama A&M	L, 7-24
2010	22,607	Alabama A&M	W, 27-14
2011	25,209	Southern	W, 33-7
2012	15,652	Florida A&M	W, 17-14
2013	16,108	Bethune-Cookman	L, 9-12
2014	10,541	Edward Waters	W, 58-6
2015	22,500	Alabama State	W, 24-14
2016	15,078	Arkansas Pine Bluff	W, 44-0
2017	11,013	Eastern Illinois	L, 16-19
2018	14,069	Bethune-Cookman	W, 34-3
2019	13,458	Mississippi Valley St.	W, 26-20
2020	Canceled
2021	2,513	Kentucky State	W, 41-7