CFC Co-Founders
Everett Rand, Larry Huggins & Tim Rand
Our Mission
The Chicago Football Classic, Inc (CFC) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to inspire African-American high school and college students through support for programs, initiatives, and events that increase awareness of opportunities to achieve educational excellence. CFC events influence students and parents to consider the rich academic and cultural opportunities offered by Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Our Beginning
In 1997, a small local group of African American businessmen - Larry Huggins, Everett Rand, and Tim Rand formed the Chicago Football Classic (CFC) as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging African American youth to achieve their personal best in school and beyond. Our initiative empowers them to not only complete high school but also attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
African American college students are known to fare better and graduate at higher rates from HBCUs, than African American students attending mainstream colleges and universities. The group achieves these goals via several initiatives, including adopt-a-school programs and most notable, scholarships for African American students planning to attend HBCU institutions.
With a scholarship program in place, the group knew that a platform was needed for the following:
1) Showcase the talents, potential, and accomplishments of scholarship recipients as well as the benefits of attending HBCUs
2) Encourage African American students and their families to lift the bar of excellence and achievement via a vehicle involving students, their families, and the entire community. That vehicle became known as the CFC, a weekend-long itinerary of cultural, educational, and other exhilarating activities.