HOUSTON – What was once a bond forged on the gridiron as teammates is now turning into a fierce rivalry on opposing sidelines.
As Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern gear up for their annual Labor Day Classic clash, the stakes are higher than ever for head coaches Leonard “Bubba” McDowell and Cris Dishman.
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Both men, who played together for the Houston Oilers in the 1990s, will face off against each other with their teams this weekend, adding a unique chapter to their intertwined football journeys.
The Labor Day Classic, a celebrated tradition in HBCU football, will feature McDowell’s Prairie View A&M Panthers as they take on Dishman’s Texas Southern Tigers.
For both coaches, the game is more than just a regular-season matchup; it’s a chance to earn local bragging rights and showcase their programs in front of a passionate fan base.
KPRC 2′s Moriah Ballard spoke with both coaches who continued to speak highly of one another throughout the conversation.
McDowell shared with Ballard that he has worked hard to instill discipline and a strong work ethic in his squad for the past 11 seasons. After working his way up in assistant roles, he’s entering his third season as the team’s head coach.
Dishman, on the other hand, was named as head coach of TSU’s football program earlier this year. He says he has been focused on turning the Tigers into a formidable force in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The two of them are no strangers to one another. Some may even call them best friends.
Coach Bubba said he and Dishman met during his rookie year when they both played under Nick Saban, who was the Oilers’ defensive backs coach at the time.
As teammates, McDowell and Dishman shared countless hours of practice, victories, and challenges while playing for Houston.
Both were known for their dedication and tenacity on the field, qualities that have clearly carried over into their coaching careers. McDowell, a former safety, and Dishman, a former cornerback, had different roles but shared a common goal of elevating their team’s performance in the secondary.
Their paths have crossed in unexpected ways since their playing days, but the Labor Day Classic will mark the first time the two have gone head-to-head as head coaches against each other.
Both programs are entering Game 1 of this season with high expectations. Prairie View A&M, coming off a strong 6-2 performance in SWAC play last season, aims to build on its momentum, while Texas Southern is hungry for redemption and eager for the chance claim the coveted Classic victory for the first time in a decade.
The game is expected to draw thousands of celebrities, fans, and alumni, many of whom remember McDowell and Dishman’s days in the NFL and are excited to see how their coaching philosophies translate to the collegiate level.
For the two head coaches, however, the game represents more than a competition; it is a testament to the power of perseverance, friendship, and a shared love of football.
As the countdown to the Labor Day Classic continues, one thing is clear: McDowell and Dishman may have once been teammates, but come Monday, they’ll be on opposite sides, each fighting for victory in a rivalry renewed.
The Labor Day Classic between Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern University kicks off at 6:00 p.m.
Below is the full transcript with Texas Southern University Coach Cris Dishman, Prairie View A&M Coach Leonard ‘Bubba’ McDowell, and Athletic Director Anton Goff.
Texas Southern University
MORIAH: Coach Dishman, we are here to talk about the Labor Day Classic coming up between Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M. We were at a press conference yesterday, and the vice president of the Intercollegiate Athletics for TSU said that this game kicks off football season. Tell us a little bit about what we can expect for the upcoming Labor Day Classic.
TSU COACH CRIS DISHMAN: Well, you’re going to have two good teams battling it out for the pride of Houston. You know, in certain family members is going to be against each other. You have some family members in with TSU and some with the Prairie View. So for the last nine years, the family members who went to Prairie View have been having it up on the TSU family members because the last nine years, Prairie View has been winning. (And) Coach McDowell has hinted to me that it only starts (being) a rivalry when the other team has won a game or two. Unfortunately for the last nine years, we haven’t. So we’re going to try to start a rivalry starting this year.
MORIAH: Yeah, that sounds really good. That sounds like a lot of friendly competition going on. How are you getting your players excited about game one in the season overall?
DISHMAN: Well, everybody’s excited about game one, no matter who we’re playing. Everyone is extra excited because we’re playing Prairie View but no matter who we playing in game one, it’s the start of our season. Our guys are primed and ripped and ready to go. We’ve been hitting each other. We’ve been tackling each other, we’ve been fussing at each other and we’ve been going after each other. Now, we get to go after someone else. So they’re excited about that. I think our team is going to be emotionally ready, but we have to control our emotions. I told our team that we’re not going to go down there and have a pre-game fight and all this other stuff as you see, when two rivals get together most of the time you hear, you see a big scuffle in the on the field. No, we’re not going to do that. We’re here to do a job. Our job is to go down there and win a game, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.
MORIAH: So like we said, you’re at an HBCU in the Houston area. Y’all are in Houston. PV is a little bit up the way still the Houston area. You talk about how important events like this are to the culture of historically black colleges.
DISHMAN: The bragging rights, you know? As you’re sitting around at your house. It’s the bragging rights is for the alums. For me personally, its a recruiting tool. We both go after the same players. And its a recruiting tool for me. I can tell them, ‘Look, we have won the last two years and we won last year. And with your help, we can continue to beat Prairie View.’ So it’s a recruiting tool for everyone. Because Coach McDowell and I are good friends but I think we are very competitive people also. We can be friends, but also we want to beat each other for the bragging rights that we have. I want to be. I want to be able to see Coach McDowell during the off-season and let him know that the rivalry has started.
MORIAH: That’s a good thing. A lot of good, clean fun, I like it. So how’s campus feeling? How are the other fans feeling? Are the other students getting riled up for the event too?
DISHMAN: I think so. You know, I think so. Our band wants to out-perform their band. Our fans want to show up in high spirits and outperform them. And the only thing I ask everybody (is to) come in peace. Let’s don’t have no riffraff after the game or before the game. Let’s come in peace, and let’s just go down there. And we’re going to come down there as enemies. But, you know, we all leave as fans of the game of football. This game and this game in particular is the start of something very special for Coach McDowell and I that, you know, whoever wins it is always going to have the up on each other. And that’s what we want to always be, the winners. We’re in the heart of Houston, you know, Prairie View is in a farm country. We’re in the heart of Houston. So we, as part of the heart of Houston, have to be able to take care of the business.
MORIAH: Now, about the game. Are there any star players that we should look out for? Anybody we should be keeping our eye on for this game? Any matchups between maybe two rivals? Are there any siblings at Prairie View and one at TSU. What should we be looking out for?
DISHMAN: I don’t think there’s any sibling rivalries, probably their moms and dads or like the uncles and cousins. But as far as team, as far as players, I don’t think there’s no sibling rivals as far as players like that. But it’s going to be a good matchup. It’s not just the individual, it’s going to be a good team. Our offense versus their defense, their defense versus our offense. And special team-wise, it’s going to be a battle special team-wise of, you know, of all the special teams. It’s going to be a game that will come down to four quarters. So I advise you to go to the bathroom. If you’re going to watch it on TV. I advise you to get all your snacks and everything you have to do in place. So therefore you don’t have to get up because the game is going to be four quarters. It may go to the fifth quarter, I don’t know. We’re going to try it. We are going to try to win the game in four quarters. But if they decide to go to the fifth quarter, we want to be the ones on top as long as long as the score favors Texas Southern University. I’m OK with it.
MORIAH: Coach, you’re getting me excited about the game! I’m not going to lie to you. I’m excited!
DISHMAN: Well, we gotta see what colors you going to wear cause I know you going to be at the game. We can’t have no half and half.
MORIAH: I gotta do a half-and-half jersey or something. I love both schools.
Also coach, we heard that this is your first game as the head coach there at TSU. Speak about your career background a little bit and how exciting it is to be coaching the Tigers.
DISHMAN: Well, it’s very exciting to be here. Yes, this is my first head coaching job, but I’ve been coaching for almost 19 years. I have been a defense coordinator. I have been position coach. So now the next level is right here, the head coaching job. I thank the committee members, and the board of regents for naming me Texas Southern head coach. It was a huge honor. It’s a great honor. And I’m going to try to hold up to their expectations of me, not only me, but my expectations of myself because I’m very secure with myself. I’m a firm believer that no one can expect more of you than you expect of yourself. I expect us to win this game. I expect us to win the SWAC. I expect those to go down in Atlanta and face of MEAC school and beat them and win at the Celebration Bowl. Those are my three expectations for this season.
MORIAH: That is amazing, coach. And this is the last question from me. Now, like you said earlier, I did not know Coach Bubble was your friend. I heard you guys are really great friends - besties at that. So speak a little bit about the relationship first, how you guys know each other, how you guys used to play together, and then tell us a little bit about what you would say to Coach Bubba today ahead of the game?
DISHMAN: Well, you know, Bubba and I have been talking almost once a week. He is very instrumental in helping me along this journey as a Texas Southern head coach. You know? Him and I don’t really talk football anymore. We talk about issues that’s going on in his school and in my school. We talk about, ‘How can I do this? What should I say here? How do I go along and do that?’ Because he’s been at an HBCU almost 16 years now. 11 years. This is, I think, his third year there as a head coach, but he’s been there almost 16 years. So he knows all the ins and outs. And even though it’s Prairie View A&M and it’s Texas Southern, even though the names are different, they’re still an HBCU. And some of the issues are different. We talk about NIL. We talk about, financing, funding. What are they doing to get their alums to donate money? So we talk about stuff like that. Like what I could be doing to get my alums to donate money because today, football has changed. It’s not, ‘Oh, the school is responsible for all the money. We need our alums. We need alums to give back to each and every school, to be able to give to the schools for the players that are on this team because as parents, we always want something better for our child and as alums, we should want something better for the people who are behind us.
MORIAH: Yeah. If you had to trash-talk Coach Bubba one more time, what would you say to him?
DISHMAN: Well, get ready for that, quadruple reverse throwback pass. So we got some stuff up our sleeves that we’re going to pull out for Coach McDowell. One of the plays he actually knows. But right now, he’s probably thinking about, ‘is he really going to do it?’ Because we ran it with the Houston Oilers. So I can’t tell you what it is. But one of the plays, he actually knows. And when we do it and are very successful with it, then I’ll be able to give him the, ‘I gotcha!’
Prairie View A&M University
MORIAH: So it’s the start of the season. It’s the start of the football season. How are you feeling?
COACH BUBBA: We feeling real good, Moriah. I’m telling you. We got these young men not looking for somebody else other than themselves. And, you know, we came out with intentions, you know, from spring transitioning into, training camp. You know, knowing what we want to do, how we want to get it done. And now, it’s about those guys going out and executing plays, you know, daily, you know, to get ready for this upcoming weekend.
MORIAH: Yeah. Now, talk to us a little bit about the upcoming Labor Day classic.
COACH BUBBA: Yeah. It’s one of the most fun games you can be a part of, you know? You know, TSU and Prairie View going at, you know. Each year its always kind of one of those games where no matter how much talent you have on each team, you know, it’s a pride thing. So, you know, you win this game, you win the state for pride bragging rights, you know, recruiting, all that help. So you know we want everybody to come out, and everybody tickets. The tickets are going fast because it’s going to be a great Labor Day classic weekend this weekend coming up once again.
MORIAH: So how do you coach? How do you get your players ready and excited about the season and about an event like this?
COACH BUBBA: Again, we just we just our motto is again, just take one game at a time. Again, we know this is TSU. You know, crosstown rivalry, big rivalry, every year we start off the first game as we talked about earlier. Now, you know, everybody is going off this 9-0. And my guys know that ‘Hey, it’s not a 9-0 thing.’ That’s what we been coaches have been talking to these young men about daily about don’t worry about the 9-0. It’s a 1-0 game. We’ve got to go with a 1-0 start. And they’ve been taking that in and understanding like, ‘Hey, you know what? We got to go out. This is a very important game. We got to take this game to be 1-0. Not 9-0 but 1-0.
MORIAH: You’re at an HBCU in the Houston area. You’re competing against another HBCU, a hometown in the Houston area. How important are events like this to the culture of HBCUs just in general?
COACH BUBBA: I think it’s real important. The culture is big because now you get a chance to come and see a lot of these young men perform, you know. And it kind of, you know, if you go back to the old days, you know, you see a lot of day old heads, all type of Hall of Famers. They start at HBCUs. And they try to give that that knowledge to these young men and say, ‘Hey, this could be you one day.’ and they take it in and they go out. They compete against one another again. You know, it’s always great to compete against your town rivalry every year. You know. And come out to win and hopefully come out to win, I should say. And it’s great for the community to come out. Just like the Battle of the Bands they just had this last weekend. I saw so many people out there. It was crazy. And to see them come out support an HBCU was awesome.
MORIAH: Now, how many years have you been coaching for the Labor Day Classic?
COACH BUBBA: Oh, this is my 13th year here. So, as a coach, this is lucky 13. That’s what I’m going off of right now. Lucky 13.
MORIAH: And how has your approach changed from your first Labor Day classic to this one?
COACH BUBBA: Well the approach didn’t pretty much change so much. You know, again, it’s about just getting these young men ready to go play against a team. And again, as we said, (the team) across town. It’s a good team and we know every year is always a battle. We had to pull out one last year in overtime, a field goal, which is very exciting. So again, the process again is just to come out, get ready during training camp for our first game which again is always TSU. We don’t worry about the teams that come behind TSU because again, we don’t want to worry about down the road. We want them to worry about what’s present. And the number one present thing is again, is Texas Southern. So we got to prepare for them the best way we can. Go out, execute and do our job to win this game.
MORIAH: Now, are there any star players that fans should be looking out for? Is there anything special? Any stories of any of the players that you want to talk about a little bit, or any rivalries? Do any of your players have, you know, family members on the other team that they’re going to be side-eyeing a little bit?
COACH BUBBA: Well, no. But a lot of these guys play against each other in high school. That’s one good thing that comes out of this because again now they’re on separate sides. You know, someone went to the same high school, went to TSU, another one came to Prairie View. Now they’re competing against one another. I named a quarterback Lucas Coley, yesterday as the starting quarterback. He’s a transfer in from UofH by way of Arkansas, and we’re expecting big things out of him as well. Shemar Savage, number one, our wide receiver (he) has come a long way this year. We’re expecting big things out of him. We got the four-headed monsters in the backfield back there. You know, they’ll get to know their names real soon when we start up about 6 o’clock on Labor Day weekend. You know that 31st, Saturday. So you know, we got a lot of guys, C.J. Pressley, defensively. And I think this is the first time since I’ve been here 13 years that we’ve been, you know, able to get a D-line like we have now, you know? This D-line of today that we have right now, it kind of reminds me of I used to play at Miami. You know, we had them studs up front that just wreck house. And we got dudes now that can, wreck house, you know, and we deep. That’s always a good thing when you’d when you can rotate guys in and out every other play. That’s always a good thing for your defense.
MORIAH: Now, the Panther Stadium hasn’t hosted a game in a while, I’ve heard. How exciting is that atmosphere going to be for students, fans, and alumni members that are coming to pull up and see the Labor Day Classic?
COACH BUBBA: It’s going to be wild. I’m telling you. I say if you ain’t got a ticket it, you need to go get it because it’s going to be a sellout. That team, that team meaning TSU, coming across from the other side of town, you know, coming into our home, our stadium... it’s going to be rocking. So we’re expecting a lot of noise, you know, not only from our side, you know, fan base. And, you know, we got what I think is probably the biggest freshman class that we have for us freshmen coming in this year. We know we hope to have them out there cheering us on, our fan base as well as the alumni. We’re going to have guys that you know from all over coming, you know, a lot of NFL guys are going to be there. Former NFL guys are going to be there because of Cris and I. (Guys) we played against and with so it’s going to be a fun atmosphere.
MORIAH: We know that these rivalry games can be very emotionally charged. How are you trying to center your players and get kind of cancel out that excitement? (Saying) ‘It’s good to be excited. But also we have a game to win.’ How do you kind of talk to them about separating the emotions from the game?
COACH BUBBA: Again, just going out, doing their job, you know? Don’t let the game be too big too where you can execute your assignment. That’s the mission we give to them. You know we’ve been giving that, same message to them, know, at the beginning of camp because again, you know. We had things we’re working on (that are) brand new as dar as the offense, you know, defense had new some kids coming in. But at the same time it was like, ‘Hey, we’re getting prepared for Texas Southern.’ And as we got closer to this day we are today. You know, you can see the excitement building up. And so we’re basically telling these guys, hey, you know, have fun with it and go out. But you guys still have to execute. Don’t get too big for the game. Don’t get too excited to where you can’t perform your duties out there, you know, and help us win the game.
MORIAH: Speaking of emotionally charged rivalries, we have to talk about your relationship to the other head coach over there, Coach Dishman. Tell us a little bit about you all’s history, the relationship there, and the excitement that you guys are being rivals this season.
COACH BUBBA: It’s fun. I think it’s going to be fun. I’ve known Cris for a long time, he taught me a lot. When I came in, as a rookie, you know, we were both under Nick Saban at the time, one of the greatest college coaches of all time. He taught me a lot, taught me how to just play the game. As you were talking about earlier, not get too excited, you know, just go out, execute, and do what you do best, you know? And once I finally realize how to do that by the fifth game of the season, I started performing well, you know, then from there we just started clicking. We had a group of eight throughout the off-season, going on vacations together and we just became really, really close. And then, you know I think around ‘90 right around ‘92 (Cris) called me and said ‘Hey man, let’s go out to San Diego, you know, let’s train for the summer.’ So we went out there and trained with Ron Sheffield of San Diego State, the track coach, for eight weeks. We went out there, got in shape and came back, got ready for the season. So from that point on, we were kind of inseparable till we kind of went our ways when we, retired.
MORIAH: Now, if you had to trash talk coach, listen, I talked to coach this morning, so just know this. The trash talk that he sent your way. Coach. I know we have to get him together real quickly. A little friendly fire. How would you trash talk the other coach right now?
COACH BUBBA: Oh, he knows I can’t trash talk. He knows I can’t. He is the best at trash talking, trust me. Good thing about it, he can back it up because they always use to tell him, ‘Hey, man, if you learn how to trash talk, you will probably be in the Pro Bowl. You have the numbers you have, you have all the accolades, but you don’t trash talk. Nobody know who you are. You just make a play and you go back and nothing is done. You have no excitement.’ So, he got me there. I’m telling you, I cannot trash talk. I tried it but I cannot sustain it.
MORIAH: Dishman said he got a special play. He going to show you. You got to wait to see it.
COACH BUBBA: He better have more than a special play because I have several special plays. I do remember him asking what was going to be my first play, and I do remember telling him yesterday, ‘touchdown, touchdown, touchdown!’ for the very first four plays. I don’t think that’s going to change.
MORIAH: What does hosting the Labor Day Classic at the Panther Stadium mean for your university and the community out there?
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR ANTON GOFF: Well, for me, this is the first time I’ll be hosting. Exactly one year. Tomorrow will be my one year anniversary of being the athletic director here. My inauguration was the Labor Day classic so I’m excited to be able to host it. We’ve got a cadre of people just working around the clock to make sure our stadium’s ready. Our special events are ready and welcoming. You know, obviously, it’s our first game but we’re welcoming our fans. But we’re also welcoming TSU fans because we want them to have a great fan experience. We don’t want them to win. We want them to leave kind of sad, but we want them to have a great experience in our venue.
MORIAH: Like you said, this is your second year as the AD out there at PV. How does this milestone you spoke about it a little bit. But how is this milestone impacting your approach as you head into this kind of game?
GOFF: Well you know what, I learned about this rivalry my entire year. So I came and we talked about this rivalry, And I didn’t truly understand it. I understood rivalries because I’ve been at Michigan State. So I’ve had that Michigan State, Michigan rivalry and some other rivalries that I actually played in and have been a part of. But what’s special about this rivalry is the close connections that everybody has between TSU and Prairie View. I mean, I go out all the time, I got a PV shirt on and I’ll have TSU fans come up to me and tell me how many different people have attended PV or worked at PV that they know, and vice versa. So many people at Prairie View who have TSU connections. So, you know, when you have this game and this familial rivalry, it’s like, your house can be divided, right? You could have people in your house, some are on TSU side somewhere on PV side. So that’s what makes this game and this rivalry such, such a classic that I love being a part.
MORIAH: Now, speaking about community engagement and alumni, how is the university using this game to deepen those connections between the community and the alumni that are returning?
GOFF: So obviously on our campus, we’re having tailgates, we’re having pre-game reunions, type deals. We’re doing awareness campaigns to make sure that our one, our alumni know not just about this game, but the entire season. Obviously, homecoming is one of the biggest and best in the country, so obviously making sure they know about that. But then we’re also going up to Dallas to play in the Cotton Bowl for the State Fair Classic and doing events there. So it’s just making sure they know everything that’s going on this season and giving them opportunities to be engaged with our athletic department and our student-athletes from a mentor standpoint, from a community service standpoint, making sure that we’re one PV. We’re connected. Whether you’re an alum from the 50s or you just showed up on campus in 2024 and you’re fresh out of high school, we want everybody to understand the PV way.
MORIAH: I heard that your stadium has some upgrades and some fun things going on over there. Can you speak a little bit about the investments made into Panther Stadium and your other facilities on campus?
GOFF: This past year, we’ve done a lot of upgrades. So, when you come to Panther Stadium, you’ll see brand-new banners. We’ve upgraded some stuff in our suites. On campus, we put a brand new turf infield for our baseball team. We did the services for, tennis courts and then redid our fences and, scoreboards for baseball and softball. And so, we’re excited about everything we’re doing here for all 18 sports. But this Saturday is about football, and we’re about to take care of business on that.
MORIAH: Now we got to talk about the other HBCU that you guys are facing. You guys are going up against Texas Southern like we’ve been talking about. How important are these events for specifically HBCUs?
GOFF: I think they’re really important. One, it brings an awareness in our community. Whether you’re downtown Houston or you’re in the suburbs and Cypress or The Woodlands, the Houston metro area. But then we also get to put a spotlight on both teams and HBCU culture, nationally. The game will be on ESPN+, and so people are able to tune in whether you’re locally or whether you’re across the country or anywhere around the world, and tune in and see a great game and see like we’ve got some special athletes. Obviously, both bands are incredible. And just this rivalry to learn a little bit more about it. And you know what’s great about when you’re on like an ESPN platform or something like that, we get to do our commercials for each of our teams, not just about our athletic departments, but our universities. So people get to get exposed and learn a little bit about TSU, a little bit about PV. And so that’s a great for exposure and for education of the masses.
MORIAH: I’m going to do one last question in the same similar question that I asked Coach Bubba, if you have any personal beef with the people, just give us a little bit of trash talk so that folks in Third Ward can hear you right now.
GOFF: Hey, listen. So last year, like I said, I came in and I was three days in the job. And, you know, obviously, we got a little winning streak going on. And so at the time, we had eight in a row. And I said to the TSU fans, I said when we win this thing this year, I’m going to change it from the Labor Day classic to the Prairie View Invitation. And so, a lot of people remember that. But I’m not going to trash talk this year like AD Granger is my guy, I love him like a brother. I wish him luck, but I wish him a lot of luck in this game. And we’re just looking for a great game, and we want people to come out 6:00 on Saturday kickoff. And, obviously we want to keep that streak going that we have here at PV. So I’m not going to talk trash.