With temperatures reaching 100 degrees it had to be the warmest Labor Day Classic weekend in the history of the three-year classic as HBCU rivals Alabama State University and Tuskegee University battle it out in the stadium on ASU’s campus.

Despite the temperatures, alumni from all over the United States convened in the city of Montgomery to engage in the celebration.

The weekend was a great football weekend, with competition and rivalry at center stage. But it’s also more than football.

It’s about friends and family; food and tailgating; parties and concerts; parades and festivities.

Perry Morgan, an alumnus of Alabama State University, is one of those alumni who was excited to return to his alma mater for the Labor Day Classic. Originally from Los Angeles, Calif., Morgan graduated with the class of 2009.

During his time at the university, Morgan served as the Visual Services Editor of The Hornet Tribune and assisted the university photographer, David Campbell.

Morgan stated the best part of Labor Day Classic was seeing old friends and communicating with former classmates.

“It simply felt like old times, nothing has changed,” said Morgan. “The absolute worst part about the weekend was the heat.”

During the course of the weekend, Morgan attended numerous events. As a former cheerleaders, he attended brunch with other alumni cheerleaders. Morgan also shared his time with old friends at dinner near the school. Morgan spent time with other alumni named Yasmine Salinas, Charlie Mcleod, and Keyomi Moore.

Morgan greatly expressed his excitement after attending the Pep Rally held at the Old Hornet Stadium.

“I learned a new dance I never knew I until that day, Morgan said. “I greatly enjoy the pep rally.”

As a police officer in Washington, D.C., Morgan is unable to attend many university events due to the distance. However, he stated that Labor Day Classic is now his unofficial homecoming. Morgan’s next university event will be the Magic City Classic.

Yasmine Salina, another graduate from the D.C. area also took time out of her schedule to come back for the Labor Day Classic, but according to Salina, “It was probably like five or six days before the event when I decided I was coming back.”

She continued.

“I was not used to that kind of heat. I do not know how I survived that kind of heat when I was in school. It was hot.”

Salina said tht she had a two-fold purpose for returning.

“My production company has a partnership with Sony Music University and I wanted to see if I could identify some current students who could benefit from the partnerships through internships,” Salina said. “ I was fortunate to find a student and that student is currently doing an internship as we speak.”

She continued.

“I also wanted to reconnect with old friends and classmates that I had not seen in years and I knew that this would be a great time to come down and reconnect with other alumni.

She also believes that large events are really good for the health of the university.

“When large numbers of the alumni come back for huge events like the Labor Day Classic, it reinforces the mission and the importance of our institution,” she said. “I came back this year and even though I could not stay for the football game, I had an opportunity to reconnect with alumni and friends by tailgating and walking around. It was a great experience and I hope that we continue this classic for years to come.

Salina believes that traditions such as the Labor Day Classic and the Magic City Classic are good for both the alumni and students.

“I think that events such as the Labor Day Classic are necessary in order to remind graduates of our traditions and the mission of the university,” Salina said. “When we come back in such large numbers, we have an opportunity to reconnect and reinvigorate our love for Alabama State University and find our similarities so that we can do something good for our university so I believe that it is very important to have events like this one.”