MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It was announced Tuesday afternoon that television executive Curtis Symonds will be the special guest speaker at the Southern Heritage Classic Coaches Luncheon presented by FedEx on Friday, Sept. 11, at the Renasant Convention Center/Grand Ballroom. The luncheon begins at noon.
 
Symonds is the president and co-founder of HBCU GO, a free streaming digital platform aimed at providing sports, entertainment and educational content elevating the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Before joining entrepreneur Byron Allen on the HBCU GO venture, Symonds built an extensive career with years in the cable sports landscape, including important contributions at ESPN and Black Entertainment Television (BET).
 
His vision has been a major contributor in the HBCU GO platform securing 10-year media-rights deals with both the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).
 
Earlier this year, Symonds was an inductee into the Cable Hall of Fame, which celebrates groundbreakers and influencers in this competitive industry.
 
The luncheon, an invitation-only event, will honor the head football coaches of this year's competing schools, UAPB's Alonzo Hampton as well as Alcorn's Cedric Thomas. 
 
The weekend is culminated Saturday, Sept. 12, with the 37th Classic football game between the UAPB Golden Lions and the Alcorn Braves.
 
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The game will be streamed on HBCUGO.tv and its mobile app.
 
More information regarding all the Classic Weekend events can be found at southernheritageclassic.com/events.
 
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