When Kendra Bulluck set out to revive the Orange Blossom Classic, she wasn’t trying to make history she was trying to honor it. As the executive director of one of the most storied events in HBCU culture, Bulluck has quietly become one of the first Black women to own a major HBCU sports property, a distinction she didn’t seek but doesn’t take lightly. Rooted in a deep love for culture, community, and the legacy of Black excellence, she has transformed the classic from a nostalgic touchstone into a full-scale movement one that generates scholarships, uplifts Black-owned businesses, empowers women, and plants seeds of opportunity for generations to come. With the 2026 Orange Blossom Classic featuring Florida A&M University vs. South Carolina State University on the horizon, Bulluck is just getting started.
What did becoming one of the first Black women to own an HBCU sports property mean to you, and what did it signal for the culture?
You know, it happened by accident. I didn’t set out to make that happen. It wasn’t until maybe a year or two into this that my PR team said something to me about it, and I was just like, oh wow. You set out to do something impactful for the community. I understood the history and the legacy of the original Orange Blossom Classic, wanted to recreate that, and here we are.
But as I’ve gone through this journey, what it means for me is that representation is important. I want this to open up a broader conversation about women ownership when it comes to event properties, leagues, every possible facet of sports. I hope that it opens up a broader conversation for women my age and the newer generation younger girls, younger women to be able to say that it is possible, it’s something that they can do, and that they would actually want to aspire to do it. It’s a mantle that, again, I didn’t expect to carry, but I don’t take it lightly, and I’m grateful to be in this position. Most days.
When you took over the classic, what was your vision for evolving it from a historic event into a modern, sustainable brand?
I wanted this current generation to really experience HBCU culture. It was important that we maintain the legacy of the original classic, but that we position the classic for this new generation that may not have been familiar with it. So it was important to find that right balance and to make this an event that’s not just for people who love football, or people who love bands, but people who just want to come and enjoy a full cultural experience everyone from families that want to bring their little kids, to college students, and for those individuals who remember the original classic.
I want Miami Labor Day weekend to be that place where you come for that full cultural experience, where we’re celebrating sports, we’re celebrating music, we’re celebrating the Greek culture, we’re celebrating everything that is tied to HBCUs and everything that’s tied to our culture as a whole.
The classic has generated over $500,000 in scholarships. What does that level of impact affirm for you about the role sports can play in education and equity?
Sports is the driving force for so many things. When you go to a sporting event and not just the HBCU event, but even if you’re enjoying your favorite NFL team sports just brings people together. This is an opportunity for us to enjoy sports, enjoy entertainment, and at the same time, be able to give back to our community by way of scholarships.
I tell people, you don’t have to be that five-figure donor giving $50,000, or that six-figure donor giving $100,000 every year. If you purchase a ticket, you’re a donor. If you attend an ancillary event like our scholarship fundraising luncheon and purchase a ticket for that, you’re a donor. So this is a time where you get to have fun, enjoy the culture, and you’re giving back. We’re participating in sports, enjoying the culture, but at the same time, we’re raising funds for scholarships, creating jobs, and putting an economic infusion into our community.
How intentional are you about creating experiences beyond the game itself the Battle of the Bands, Fan Fest, the luncheon?
Very intentional. I want this to be that entertainment destination for Labor Day weekend we just happen to do it with the football being the backdrop. But there are after parties, concerts, a luncheon, family day, the Battle of the Bands, so my team and I are very intentional in creating something that goes across all age ranges something family-friendly, something college-student friendly.
For me, this is about how do we make this the hub for entertainment. Even on the community side, when you talk about social justice and the things that are so important right now to our community, we’ve hosted conferences, we’ve welcomed the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, people who come to interact with their constituents. We have our sports and entertainment conference that talks to students about careers off the field. We have our scholarship luncheon where we celebrate people who have matriculated through these universities. If you need a job, we have a career fair. A little bit of everything for everybody from entertainment, sports, music, culture, and community.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a Black woman in sports ownership, and how have you turned those into advantages?
People are often surprised when they know that it’s me behind the brand. I get asked all the time, you never played sports how would you explain that? So there have been challenges in the way of, number one, really getting people to take you seriously. Getting people to understand that, yes, it’s football, yes, I’m a woman, but this is so much bigger than football. Getting people to buy into the belief that with the team I have behind me, we can make this happen.
But challenges are opportunities. One of the things I always tell people is to arm yourself with knowledge. The more you know about business, and the more you know about the industry that you’re in, the better equipped you are to handle those questions and those challenges when they come up. When people do question who the person is behind the brand, once you know what you’re talking about and you’re confident in conveying that, it’s really hard for them to turn a deaf ear and not find a way to get behind it and support.
You support initiatives like the Elevation Experience, which pours directly into women. Why was it important for you to not just lead, but build pipelines for other women to rise with you?
Because it’s even more important to be able to share knowledge than it is to just have it. This was over 10 years in the making. And if I can shave off six of those 10 years for somebody, then I know that me going through what I went through was not in vain. I’m a firm believer in, number one, what God has for you is for you. Me being open and talking about those challenges, talking about pitfalls, putting people in a room who can network if I can help someone navigate the process, things still come back to me.
I think at one point, statistics showed that over 60% of small businesses were owned by women. When you have that many women out here making it happen, why not share? It’s nice to say, well, you’re one of few women to own this thing, but that’s because it is rare. The more people we can bring into the fold, the less taboo it becomes. It just becomes a normal part of the conversation.
You also created Business Unite to support Black-owned businesses and vendors. How does that initiative work and why does it matter?
We started the game in 2021, post-COVID, down here in Miami, in South Florida, where tourism is our biggest industry. After COVID, small businesses took the greatest hit. Our tourism industry took the greatest hit. People don’t realize there are so many things that come into play when you’re planning these events — you need florists, caterers, vendors to help produce the game.
Knowing that small minority-owned businesses took the greatest hit, I wanted to find a way to give some sort of financial infusion into those businesses. So we started the Business Unite program, which creates an opportunity for them to get contracts and for us to bring in vendors to help us produce those games. That in turn helps boost the economy and helps bring dollars, as well as visitors, back into our neighborhood.
What was the personal inspiration behind reviving the Orange Blossom Classic?
My dad. He is a huge Marching 100, huge FAMU fan. I didn’t attend an HBCU, however, everyone in my family did. My siblings did, and so I told them, well, okay, I didn’t go to FAMU, but I am literally going to bring FAMU to you. He would always talk about the original OBC, and the parade, and how significant it was, so that sparked my interest in researching the game.
Growing up in North Carolina, we only talked about the PWIs like UNC and Duke when we were talking basketball. When it came to fall, it was, whose classic are we going to this year? Whose homecoming are we going to this year? I wanted to bring that back to Miami because we just didn’t have it.
My older son was also my motivation to keep going. When I would pick it up and put it down, he would say, Mommy, what happened to that game you were gonna do? And so I said, you know what, I’m gonna try it again. I’m always telling my kids that you don’t stop anything until you feel like you’ve exhausted all of your options. And as God would have it, it worked out and who knew that same son would go on to play football at FAMU and end up playing in his mother’s game that he used to ask about when he was 10 years old.
What does the next era of the Orange Blossom Classic look like, and what legacy are you intentionally building?
First things first I want to see the stadium full on September 6, 2026. But beyond that, I really want to make this the destination place. I want people to say, no matter who’s playing, I’ve got to be in Miami Labor Day weekend. I don’t care if you’re a FAMU fan, a South Carolina State fan, I don’t care if you went to Howard or Morehouse I want this to be that place to be.
I also want OBC to not be seen as just that Labor Day weekend event, but to keep our community work going throughout the year. I’m looking into flag football on HBCU campuses, which is a really big deal right now for women. When you think about women ownership and women leagues and WNBA teams coming on board, there are all kinds of things from a woman’s standpoint I’ve been thinking about that I feel will be the branches of the Orange Blossom Classic. But first things first getting 2026 taken care of, looking at what the next few years look like for matchups, and then seeing how we can get into the community year-round.
Tickets for the 2026 Orange Blossom Classic Florida A&M University vs. South Carolina State University on Sept. 6 are available @orangeblossomclassic.com. Follow Kendra Bulluck on Instagram @KBulluckmajor and the Orange Blossom Classic @orangeblossomFC.
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