June 1 (UPI) -- For the first time in school history, defending national champion LSU scheduled football games against Southern and Grambling State, the university announced Monday.
Both of the games against the historically black Louisiana schools will be played at LSU's Tiger Stadium, with Southern visiting on Sept. 10, 2022, and Grambling State on Sept. 9, 2023.
"This is an incredible opportunity to join our fan bases of these historic Louisiana institutions and championship programs," LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said in a statement. "These dates will be days to celebrate not only football, but the state of Louisiana and all of our people. It's time and we are all proud to be a part of it."
LSU first began playing football in 1893, while Southern's football program dates back to 1916 and Grambling to 1928.
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The main campuses for LSU and Southern are located in Baton Rouge, about 10 miles apart. Grambling State, which boasts a football program made famous by the late coach Eddie Robinson, is in northern Louisiana.
Southern and Grambling are two of the nation's most tradition-rich schools and have been among the most dominant programs in the history of the Southwestern Athletic Conference -- an FCS-level league comprised of historically black colleges and universities.
Grambling has captured 26 SWAC titles and 15 black college football national titles, while Southern has won the SWAC 19 times and claimed 11 black college football national championships.
Both schools have produced many NFL players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Buck Buchanan and ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams, who was MVP of Super Bowl XXII in 1988.
