The State Fair Classic, held annually at the Cotton Bowl, began in 1925 featuring the Wiley College Wildcats and Langston University Lions. The first game was played on Monday, October 19, 1925 and resulted in a 0–0 tie with neither team scoring before a crowd of 5,000.The Chicago Defender "Wiley and Langston Battle Hard, But Neither Scores" 31 October 1925 page 9 Both teams met four consecutive years in Dallas before Prairie View replaced Langston in 1929.The Chicago Defender "Wiley and Prairie View Ready" 19 October 1929 page 9 The contest always took place on "Negro Day" at the State Fair of Texas and would feature the city's black high school football championship in the afternoon followed by the much-anticipated college game at night. An early concept of "Monday Night Football" could also be attributed to the Texas State Fair Classic and Louisiana's own State Fair Classic, as the contests took place on Monday nights from the 1920s into the 1960s.
