Blue – Gray Football Classic The Blue – Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all - star game held in Alabama usually on Christmas Day . It was begun in 1939 and held annually through 2001 at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery , Alabama . The game was not contested in 2002 and was subsequently revived in 2003 in Troy , Alabama . However , the game was discontinued because it lacked a major sponsor after that year . The format , unsurprisingly given the Classic ' s name , pitted players who attended college in the states of the former Confederacy , the " Grays , " who wore white jerseys , against players who attended school in the northern half of the country , the " Blues , " who wore blue jerseys , and also sometimes including players from western teams . Both teams wore gray pants . Only seniors played in this game , because it was their first venture into professional football , as they were paid for their participation . The game had an interesting and somewhat checkered history . It was almost always the first major college all - star game of the year . For this reason , it was difficult to get some of the truly big - name collegiate stars , because many of them were preparing at the same time for bowl game s with their regular teams . Also , many potential players preferred to spend Christmas at home . In recent years , therefore , most of the players had been players from teams with losing records and from smaller schools which do not play NCAA Division I football . The Classic gave these players an opportunity to be noticed by NFL scouts and others who may not have had the opportunity to observe them previously . Most such players now attend the NFL Combine for evaluation . Given its setting , it wasn ' t surprising that this game was slow to desegregate , and in fact was once removed from the schedule of NBC for this reason . Since then , the game had not only been desegregated , but in the process showcased many African American stars from smaller , lesser - known schools ( including many historically black colleges and universities ) . In fact , Jerry Rice played in the 1984 game and was named the Most Valuable Player . The Classic also made many concessions to make it more television - friendly , such as shortening the first quarter to 12 minutes on at least one occasion to make it fit more easily into a doubleheader package , and changing the rules so that after any score a team down by a double - digit margin would receive the kickoff , even if they in fact were the one which had just scored , presumably to keep the game close and prevent the loss of viewership which often occurs in grossly - uneven contests . In later years , the game had always been played on Christmas Day , which may have tended to limit the live attendance , but which ensured that it was on television at a time when more viewers were available for it . Even in its new setting at Troy University ' s Movie Gallery Stadium , about 50 miles ( 80 km ) south of Montgomery , the Montgomery Lions Club had remained active in the staging of the game , and in fact was instrumental in finding this new venue to replace the aging Cramton Bowl . The stadium had not been well maintained over the years , and by the turn of the 20th century it was literally crumbling . In fact , the game ' s 2002 hiatus was caused by two primary factors : the failure to obtain a new corporate sponsor to purchase the football game ' s naming rights after the Kelley – Springfield Tire Co . ( a subsidiary of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company ) decided to discontinue its sponsorship , and also the poor condition of Cramton Bowl . It was generally thought that the Lions Club and others would have liked to return the game to Montgomery , but opted not to do so because it was unable to find a suitable replacement venue in the Montgomery area . Game results . 64 Blue – Gray Football Classics were played . Gray won 33 games , Blue won 29 games , and two games tied . All were played in Montgomery , Alabama , except the 2003 game , played in Troy , Alabama .