Since Florida A&M (FAMU) joined the SWAC in 2021, an intense rivalry has rapidly developed. Which was put aside for a moment during this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Alabama State Hornets are the closest school to FAMU, at just over three hours, and fans of both schools have traveled well to competitions. ASU set a school record for home attendance against the Rattlers this past football season at 33,576.
With two of the league’s best baseball teams, comparable basketball teams, and strong fanbases, the Hornets-Rattlers rivalry is steadily growing.
On Tuesday, however, the rivalry was tabled as HBCU love took center stage. The Hornets, winners of the 2025 SWAC Basketball Tournament, were in Dayton, Ohio, to play St. Francis in the “First Four” round of the NCAA Basketball “March Madness” tournament. When the Hornets arrived, they were greeted by FAMU alum Rachel Blanks, who was sporting black and gold gift bags for the team.
Rivalry aside
“Orange and green run through my veins every day—FAMUly forever! But tonight, I’m all about that black and gold!,” Blanks said. A member of the Greater Dayton Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association. Blanks has been a key component of the re-certification of the chapter that originally started in the 1960s, but was recently re-started.
The Alabama State Vice President of Institutional Advancement ties into the gesture. Col. Gregory L. Clark is a graduate of FAMU and was President of the FAMU National Alumni Association. The Dayton Chapter was formed under his leadership of the association.
“It’s one thing about unity among HBCUs, but it’s also about SWAC love,” Clark said. For me to see my alma mater and a chapter that started under my leadership and do a great gesture to welcome the university I currently work at, it says a lot about character of the university, its grads, and the alumni association. Coach Matlock really appreciated the gesture. This chapter has been doing this year-after-year. This is an annual thing with the group. They stepped up and got it done.”
The Hornets would go on to defeat St. Francis 70-68 on a shot as time expired to advance to the field of 64.
The gesture has gone viral on HBCU social media. The comments dig to the core of HBCU rivalries in that there is a point at which they don’t matter.
