PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Aug. 29, 2025) – When Labor Day Classic weekend wraps up and football fans go home, for some, the friendly rivalry will not stop there.
The weeklong celebration, hosted by Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and Texas Southern University (TSU), has long marked the friendly rivalry between Texas’ two iconic Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
For the Newsomes, it will determine who has “bragging rights” — at least until the next game day.
Overcoming their school rivalry, Troyla “Troy” Newsome, PVAMU Class of 2012, married her now husband, Randall Newsome, TSU Class of 2012, on Oct. 18.
The Love Story
They met at a National Association of Black Journalists convention, both fresh out of college and chasing their dream job at ESPN–she has a bachelor’s in mass media communications with a psychology minor, and he holds a bachelor’s in communications with a specialty in journalism.
She wanted to be a reporter; he wanted to be a sports anchor.
They shared their HBCU roots, and when he shared that he went to TSU, Troy said she responded, “TS-who? It’s PV all day!”
The rest, as they say, is history: The friendly rivalry banter that started that night never stopped.
Now, they’re working and growing their family in Baltimore, but not a day goes by that they forget their Texan roots: Troy says she’ll randomly throw in a TSU jab in the middle of a day to keep things interesting.
The Wedding Day
Their rivalry, or love story, spilled over even to their big day.
At most weddings, the bride walks down the aisle toward her groom, her white wedding gown gracing the center between the bride’s side and the groom’s side.
But when Troy walked down the wedding aisle that October day, the room wasn’t divided between the bride’s side and the groom’s side. Instead, the wedding hall was split down the middle into PVAMU vs. TSU.
The PVAMU-TSU rivalry even made its way into their vows.
When most people say, “I do,” she told him, “I knew I couldn’t let the fact that you went to Texas Southern rule you out.”
He still complains she snuck in more guests from “The Hill.”
Remembering their special day, Troy said, “It felt like the Labor Day Classic in the middle of our wedding. Everyone picked a side and joined in. That’s when you knew our rivalry was bigger than us.”
Randall’s TSU pride and history run just as deep.
His mom, dad, and aunt are all TSU graduates, and his aunt is a former Miss TSU.
During a family vacation at Disney World, Randall refused to use Troy’s PVAMU Stanley Cup to drink, knowing he would never be able to live it down if anyone were to sneak a photo.
“I’d rather go thirsty,” he said then.
Their daughter Riley has outgrown her PVAMU and TSU onesies, but Troy takes special pride in the fact that Riley was wearing a PVAMU shirt when she took her first steps.
“I’m rooting for PV, but at the end of the day, we want her to choose her own HBCU path,” Troy says.
Because at the end of the day, they are family.
They may be school rivals, but they are life partners. The rivalry has now, of a sort, become their very own love language.
“At the end of the day, it’s all love; that rivalry is what sparked our very first conversation, and it’s what led to our friendship, our love, and our marriage, along with some of the fun and people we’ve met along the way,” they say. “We’re so proud to represent the true spirit of HBCU love, Texas style!”
They hope their love story, born of rivalry, inspires a similar team spirit of respectful rivalry in others.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Classic, and the game kicks off on Aug. 30 at Shell Energy Stadium, hosted by Texas Southern.
“Our story shows you can root hard for your team and still respect the other side, because it’s all part of the same tradition that molded us,” the Newsomes say. “The Classic keeps our culture alive, brings generations together, and reminds us of the power of HBCUs not just in sports, but in building lifelong connections, families, and futures.”
By Christine Won
Related Story: Prairie View–Texas Southern football rivalry crosses family lines, creates memories (Houston Defender)
-PVAMU-