Southern Heritage Classic reaches deal to remain at Liberty Stadium through 2032
The Southern Heritage Classic will remain at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium for at least the next nine years.
The City of Memphis and SHC founder Fred Jones (and his company, Summit Management Corporation) came to an agreement on Monday to extend the college football game's lease until 2032, the SHC announced Tuesday. The current lease had run out after the 2024 game.
The deal was an important hurdle to clear in the push to transfer ownership of the stadium from the city to the University of Memphis, part of a $220 million planned renovation of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Memphis City Council will approve the minutes of its last meeting on Tuesday. The last meeting included a vote to allocate $120 million of state cash to the renovations and transfer ownership of the stadium.
Part of the holdup at that Dec. 19 meeting was Jones telling city councilors he had not worked out a long-term lease for the SHC and had not seen the proposed deal between the city and university until just before the meeting. Some councilors expressed concerns about the overall deal, but ultimately decided to vote in favor of the resolution that transferred ownership of the stadium and said they could vote not to approve the minutes of the meeting if a deal was not reached before the next council meeting.
“I am thankful to the City of Memphis for their support," Jones said in a statement Tuesday morning. "We appreciate their diligence in ensuring that the Southern Heritage Classic will continue to be held at the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. It’s the place we’ve called home for decades, and we look forward to making more memories there as we bring great HBCU football to Memphis each year,”
The game features two Historically Black Colleges and Universities and has gone on since 1990. This year's edition is set for Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Southern Heritage Classic to remain at Liberty Stadium through 2032
