When two historically black colleges barely 45 miles apart prepared for a showdown on the football field last fall, their alumni weren't left out of the competition. But instead of touchdowns and extra points, they were making bids, calling trumps, and winning tricks.

To raise scholarship money and interest in the Palmetto Capital City Classic Sept. 27 in Columbia, S.C., South Carolina State University and Benedict College alumni gathered for a one-night tournament of bid whist. The Tuesday night before the Saturday game, more than 70 card players showed up at a Columbia community center and divided up based on allegiance to their respective schools. The $10 entry fee went toward scholarships.

S.C. State alumnus Larry Watson, head of Benedict's Social Science and Criminal Justice Department, worked with Benedict Athletic Director Willie Washington to get the tournament on its feet. "We were talking about how to raise money for scholarships and build on a competitive rivalry," Watson told The State newspaper of Columbia, adding that card games are an important part of black culture. "We thought this would be a good way to get a lot of people from both schools to turn out."

And the excitement around the card tournament did spread to the football field. A crowd of nearly 50,000 at the neutral-site University of South Carolina stadium witnessed the showdown between S.C. State, a Division I-AA school with a long football tradition, and Benedict, which revived its Division II program in 1995 after a 29-year absence.