East L.A. Classic Returns To Coliseum

(Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: Not since 2003, has the East L.A. Classic been played in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. But in 2022, it’s a Déjà Vu moment in this historic and unique rivalry game that covers a full eight decades.

All eyes from East L.A. & Beyond will be on the annual “bragging rights” prize as the renewed and expanded “East L.A. Classic” football game between the undefeated Roosevelt Rough Riders, (8-0), and the (6-2), Garfield Bulldogs, comes back with more fanfare in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic has nearly been dismissed and the road to a full national recovery has finally started to bring lives slowly but surely back to normal.

Through our Photo Gallery, we now give everyone a quick look at the much-anticipated Press Conference that took place on Wednesday, Oct. 18th at the peristyle end of the Coliseum. Mike Flores, who attended Garfield and taught at Roosevelt in his educational career, served as the M.C. and presented all of the “key” speakers, which included George L. Pla, President, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Cordoba Corporation and a Cal State L.A.​​ Alumnus, (1972), Alberto M. Carvalho, L.A. Unified School District Superintendent, Monica Garcia, L.A. Unified School District Board Member, District 2, and Team Captains, Alejandro Arroyo, Roosevelt, and Jayden Barnes, Garfield. To round out the total group of invitees, at least ten student-athletes from each school were also present, along with their Head Coaches, Aldo Parral from Roosevelt and Lorenzo Hernandez, Garfield.

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The highlight of the Press Conference was the appearance and the address of Will.I.am, the founder and lead member of the Black Eyed Peas, Music Mega Star, and Humanitarian extraordinaire. Two of his members, Taboo, (Jaime Luis Gomez) and Apl.de.ap (Allan Pineda Lindo), were also introduced and briefly addressed the students, teachers, and administrators from both schools. Also present were Richard Guillen, Jr. and his sister Virginia Childress, son and daughter of the late Roosevelt Assistant Football Coach, Dickie Guillen. The two siblings played an important role in the development of this new platform for the “East L.A. Classic.”

Here’s a bit of history surrounding the “Classic” that needs to be understood in moving forward. Due to the pandemic, 2020 marked the occasion that the game was interrupted due to a national health emergency in this era. Then, last year, the two teams agreed to re-start the game at East L.A. College’s Weingart Stadium with the Rough Riders capturing their first win over the Bulldogs in the span of a decade.

This year, to bookmark this occasion in capturing not only the CIF/L.A. City Section (LACS), Eastern League showdown between these foes, the venue has been changed from East L.A. College’s Weingart Stadium, the official home for this match-up between East L.A. ‘s two longtime rivals, to the World-Class, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Planning for this move began after last year’s contest, when both schools met with Will.I.Am, George L. Pla, plus the prominent Guillen family members, Richard, Jr., and his sister Virginia Childress, to discuss the possibilities of creating a larger platform for the game to be played, not only for the vast Community of East L.A. but well beyond it. The scope was of course, to attract other communities to come and witness history in the making by having the Black Eyed Peas perform during the longer half-time program based on the fact that both schools observe the “Classic” as their “Homecoming Game.”

If you would like to see a classic high school football game played under the Best Friday Night Lights in the World, then we invite you to come out on Friday, Oct. 21st to experience the East L.A. Classic in person, and at the same time, see the two schools showcase not only their teams, but their Drill Teams, Cheer, Marching Bands, Color Guard, AND one of the most famous musical groups in the world, all performing here in our City at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Tickets may still be  available at both schools’ front offices and through Ticketmaster.Com. Children under the age of two will be admitted Free of Charge. All tickets will cost $15.00 and seating will be on a “first come-first served” basis. There will be no premium or selective seating. Remember, there’s always something to do in our wonderful City of The Angels so come on out and get a great seat to see a fantastic rivalry similar to the fabled USC vs. UCLA game for the modest price that we have mentioned above.