When Johnson C. Smith and Livingstone renew the oldest and original HBCU rivalry Saturday in Charlotte, there's reason to celebrate.

The two schools played the first black college football game on Dec. 27, 1892 in Salisbury, N.C., which Smith (then Biddle Institute) won 5-0.

Back in those days, a touchdown was worth five points, marching bands hadn't been invented and football wasn't played in front of tens of thousands of fans in state of the art stadiums. Heck, even video games were nearly 90 years into the future. ...

While Biddle and Livingstone didn't invent the game, they did create a distinct branch that has grown into a special part of America's sports and social fabric.

Without HBCUs, some of what makes the Saturday game day experience wouldn't exist, not to mention the opportunities afforded to the brightest lights in college history. Think about the legacy of men like Jerry Rice, Eddie Robinson, "Too Tall" Jones and Jake Gaither; the elevation of halftime battles of marching bands to cult-like status, and of course, homecoming. It's been a great ride over the last 116, and we owe a passing debt of gratitude to a pair of small N.C. colleges that started it all.

By the way, Smith leads the series 37-20-2.