LHP x Google: Inaugural HBCU NYC with Google Gameday Shirts

Google was named the official sponsor of the Inaugural Toyota HBCU New York Football Classic Halftime Show. The highly-anticipated matchup between Howard University and Morehouse College took  place at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on September 17th, 2022. 

As over 35,000 fans packed the stands, sharp sounds from Howard’s Showtime Marching Band and Morehouse’s House of Funk serenaded the crowd.

Prior to the Inaugural HBCU NYC Classic, Nordstrom hosted a pop-up shop with the goal of creating a more equitable shelf by honoring Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The company sponsored Mister and Miss Howard University with shoes from Christian Louboutin, in addition to offering Tahir Murray, a Howard alumnus and owner of the Legacy, History, Pride Brand the opportunity to feature his merchandise. 

LegacyHistoryPride also had the opportunity to create the gameday shirts for Google, with the help of HBCU grads Grant Bennett (Morehouse College) and Zuri Godfrey (Howard University). 

“Spelman, Morehouse, and Howard took over the city for an action packed weekend,” Murray said. “Working with Nordstrom and Google during the weekend of a historical HBCU football classic was nothing short of a dream come true. Both companies serve as prime examples of the endless collaborative opportunities there are to create impact through fashion. LHP is all about building products with a purpose and we are excited to continue building upon the Legacy, History, and Pride of HBCUs with the worlds’ most innovative minds.” - CEO Mr. Legacy stated to NBC sports. 

Google donated $350,000 which includes $210,000 in scholarships to 105 HBCU students as the sponsor for the historic game. Additionally, “each recipient will be awarded $2,000 for books and laptops for the upcoming school year—students from any HBCU are eligible to apply.” 

“HBCUs continue to serve as safe havens for Black students and are responsible for shaping the next generation of leaders and thinkers across today’s leading industries, including tech. At Google, we want to do our part to support these institutions and their students as we work to make tech more inclusive and representative at all levels of the workforce, together,” says Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity Officer at Google. 

This weekend honored and celebrated the pride of HBCUs and the continued efforts going into the continued growth of Black colleges and the future leaders of the world.