Wabash athletics file photo

Wabash College and Hampden-Sydney College will renew their football rivalry in 2022 and 2023. The two colleges for men will open those seasons by playing each other in a continuation of The Gentlemen’s Classic, which began in 2014.

Wabash and Hampden-Sydney are both nationally recognized liberal arts colleges and are two of the remaining four all-male schools in the country.

“Renewing a football series with Hampden-Sydney in 2022 is a unique opportunity for our football program,” said Wabash athletic director Matt Tanney. “Wabash offers exceptional resources for students in and out of the classroom, and a gridiron series with the Tigers is another exciting way to elevate the experience for our football scholar-athletes. The new Little Giant Stadium is being constructed for the purpose of hosting celebratory and competitive contests like this one."

“The uniqueness that Hampden-Sydney and Wabash share in being all-male institutions make this such an exciting opportunity for our teams, fans, and alumni,” Hampden-Sydney athletic director Chad Eisele said. “We look forward to renewing the game, and building upon the rivalry.”

Wabash, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana, will host the first meeting between the two teams in the 2022 season opener. Hampden-Sydney, located just outside of Farmville, Virginia, will host the rivalry game in 2023.

Wabash swept the two-game series in the first set of games. The Little Giants defeated 21st-ranked Hampden-Sydney 34-21 in Crawfordsville in 2014. Wabash started the 2015 campaign with a 35-3 victory over the Tigers on the way to a 12-1 record and a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Wabash ranks fifth in NCAA Division III football history with 696 victories over 133 years. The Little Giants advanced to the 2019 NCAA Division III playoffs by winning a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference title. Hampden-Sydney has claimed 558 wins in 125 seasons. HSC head coach Marty Favret is the second-winningest coach in school history with 131 victories in 20 seasons and a five-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

“I am thrilled with the renewal of The Gentlemen’s Classic and the opportunity for two great institutions to kick off the 2022 season,” Wabash head football coach and two-time NCAC Coach of the Year Don Morel said. “Our players are excited to be a part of this tremendous rivalry and look forward to continuation of the series.”

“It’s an exciting challenge for us to compete against such a respected (Wabash) football program,” Favret added. “I know it will be an experience our players will remember for a long time.”

The all-sport series between Hampden-Sydney and Wabash is tied at 3-3. The two teams spit a pair of baseball games in 2014 and 2015. The Tigers won the only basketball game played between the two schools in 2001 and captured a win in tennis in March earlier this year.