Military Classic of the South

Last updated

Military Classic of the South
Sport Football
First meetingOctober 16, 1920
VMI, 35–0
Latest meetingOctober 19, 2024
The Citadel, 13–10
Next meetingNovember 1, 2025
at Charleston, SC
TrophySilver Shako
Statistics
Meetings total80 [1]
All-time seriesThe Citadel leads, 45–33–2
Trophy seriesThe Citadel leads, 31–13–1
Largest victoryThe Citadel, 50–0 (1992)
Longest win streakThe Citadel, 12 (2003–2018)
Current win streakThe Citadel, 1 (2024–present)
Military Classic of the South
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Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
300km
200miles
Red pog.svg
VMI
Blue pog.svg
The Citadel
Locations of The Citadel and VMI

The original "Military Classic of the South" was a football game played on Thanksgiving Day between Virginia Tech (VPI) and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) beginning in 1913 and lasting until 1985. [2] [3] Unfortunately, as Virginia Tech continued to expand its student body, the game quickly became unmatched and VMI left the series in 1985.

Contents

Today, the current Military Classic of the South is an American college football rivalry game played between the civilian students and cadet students from The Citadel and the cadets from Virginia Military Institute. [4] The first game between VMI and The Citadel was in 1920. The game has been played nearly continuously since World War II; since then, only five seasons have seen the game not played. Currently, The Citadel is expanding its student body to become a larger comprehensive college and bringing in transfer graduate student athletes, while VMI remains all-military. Thus, the future of this series may be uncertain. [5]

Current History

VMI and The Citadel first played each other in 1920. The trophy that is currently awarded, the Silver Shako, was introduced in 1976. [6] [7]

The game has been played nearly continuously since World War II, with no matchup in 1956, 2004, and 2008–2010. The Citadel had won the past twelve meetings before VMI's victory in 2019. The Citadel leads the series 45–33–2. At one point in 1967, the Keydets led the series 18–8–1. The Military Classic is the thirteenth oldest still-played rivalry in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the NCAA. Both teams were members of the Southern Conference (SoCon) from 1936 until 2003, when VMI left for the Big South Conference and were reunited in the SoCon when VMI returned in 2014. [8] [9]

Game results

The Citadel victoriesVMI victoriesTie games

Other varsity sports

SportLast MatchupAll-Time Series
DateLocationWinnerScoreAttendanceLeaderRecord
BaseballApril 15, 2022 Gray–Minor StadiumLexington, Virginia VMI5–21,814The Citadel85–39 [10] [11]
April 16, 2022Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VirginiaVMI3–2132
April 17, 2022Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VirginiaThe Citadel22–5(7)154
BasketballJanuary 15, 2022 McAlister Field HouseCharleston, SC VMI90–851,256The Citadel60–58 [12] [13]
February 12, 2022 Cameron HallLexington, VA The Citadel83–793,745
Women's SoccerOctober 23, 2022 WLI FieldCharleston, SC The Citadel5–1203The Citadel10–7 [14] [15]
October 25, 2022 [a] WLI Field • Charleston, SCThe Citadel3–0176
WrestlingFebruary 20, 2022McAlister Field House • Charleston, SCThe Citadel32–5N/AVMI43–25 [16] [17]
  1. SoCon Tournament

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">VMI Keydets football</span> Football program representing the Virginia Military Institute

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1915 VMI Keydets football team</span> American college football season

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Citadel Bulldogs</span> Sports teams of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 VMI Keydets football team</span> American college football season

The 1920 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in their 30th season of organized football, during the 1920 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Blandy Clarkson, the Keydets went 9–0 and outscored opponents 431 to 20. College Football Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Leech starred on the team, leading the nation in scoring with 210 points. Leech was selected third-team All-America by Walter Camp. The season included the first instance of the rivalry with The Citadel, which would later become known as the Military Classic of the South. The team was nicknamed "The Flying Squadron."

The 2015 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 125th football season and the Keydets were led by first year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, as they have since 1962. This was VMI's second season as a member of the Southern Conference, following 11 seasons in the Big South Conference, which followed 78 years in the Southern Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 1–6 in SoCon play to finish in last place.

The 1923 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in their 33rd season of organized football, during the 1923 college football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Blandy Clarkson, the Keydets went 9–1 and outscored opponents 224 to 23. Tackle Charlie Barbour was All-Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VMI–Virginia Tech football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The VMI–Virginia Tech football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Keydets of Virginia Military Institute and the Hokies of Virginia Tech. The teams first played in 1894 and last played in 1984. They are scheduled to meet again in 2026, after a 42-year hiatus. The two schools are only about 80 miles apart in western Virginia and were in the same conference from 1924 to 1964.

The 1974 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In their fourth year under head coach Bob Thalman, the team compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, and finishing as SoCon champion.

The 1947 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) as a member of the Southern Conference during the 1947 college football season. In its first season under head coach Arthur Morton, the team compiled a 3–5–1 record, finished in 11th place in the conference, and was outscored by a total of 152 to 120.

The 2019 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 129th football season. The Keydets were led by fifth-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. They were a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 5–7, 4–4 in SoCon play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. Their 5 wins were the most achieved in a single season since finishing 6–6 in 2003.

The 2020 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 130th football season. The Keydets were led by sixth-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. They are a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon).

The 1921 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) during the 1921 college football season as a member of the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In their second year under head coach Blandy Clarkson, the team compiled an overall record of 3–5–1.

The 1929 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) during the 1929 college football season as a member of the Southern Conference. In their third year under head coach W. C. Raftery, the team compiled an overall record of 8–2.

The 1931 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) during the 1931 college football season as a member of the Southern Conference. In their fifth year under head coach W. C. Raftery, the team compiled an overall record of 3–6–1.

The 1946 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) during the 1946 college football season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). In their tenth year under head coach Pooley Hubert, the team compiled a 4–5–1 record and was outscored by a total of 203 to 133.

References

  1. "Football History vs the Citadel".
  2. "Back in the day Tech VMI was the game".
  3. "A History of the Corps of Cadets".
  4. "SoCon Football Week 10: A Historical Sketch of the 'Battle For The Silver Shako'". Medium.com. November 3, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  5. Hartsell, Jeff. "VMI and The Citadel: The same, but different".
  6. Kara, Klein. "Virginia Military Institute (VMI) vs The Citadel football – The Citadel – Charleston, SC". www.citadel.edu.
  7. "Silver Shako".
  8. "CSTV Adds VMI-Citadel "Military Classic of the South" To Fall Football Line-Up". Big South Conference. July 11, 2007. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  9. "VMI, Citadel play their 'Classic'". USA Today . November 15, 2002. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  10. 2020 Baseball Record Book (PDF). The Citadel Bulldogs. p. 147. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  11. 2020 Baseball Record Book (PDF). VMI Keydets. p. 4. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  12. 2019–20 Basketball Record Book (PDF). The Citadel Bulldogs. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. "2020–21 Basketball Game Notes: At Citadel" (PDF). VMI Keydets. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  14. 2020 Women's Soccer Record Book (PDF). The Citadel Bulldogs. p. 65. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  15. VMI Women's Soccer Record Book (PDF). VMI Keydets. p. 7. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  16. 2020 Wrestling Record Book (PDF). The Citadel Bulldogs. p. 2. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  17. 2019–20 Wrestling Record Book (PDF). VMI Keydets. p. 8–9. Retrieved February 26, 2021.