Coors Light® Celebrates The 2015 HBCU Classics With $100,000 In Scholarships

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Dec 14, 2015, 08:00 ET

CHICAGO, Dec. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Coors Light recently wrapped up its 2015 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Classics season, following the SWAC Championship in Houston. The brand has invested in HBCUs for more than 25 years, supporting higher education, civic leadership and economic empowerment. Over the last seven years, Coors Light has donated more than $1 million to provide much needed resources to HBCUs. This year Coors Light is giving $100,000 in scholarships benefitting juniors and seniors aged 21 and older.

Coors Light was joined by "The Lifestyle Specialist" Kenny Burns at the Southern Heritage Classic, to kick off its 2015 HBCU Classics season. The brand presented $10,000 scholarship donations to the presidents of Jackson State University and Tennessee State University. Coors Light has been a proud partner of the HBCU Classics for over 25 years, investing more than $1 million over the last seven years to support higher education for students 21+. (Photo by MillerCoors/Nick Brazinsky)

This year's support continued with the theme "Return. Reunite. Refresh." Coors Light hosted events reuniting alumni and fans and bringing refreshment to the HBCU Classic experience with live music entertainment and cooking with beer demonstrations. In 2015, Coors Light was an official sponsor of the following Classics:

Southern Heritage Classic (Memphis)
Chicago Football Classic
Magic City Classic (Birmingham)
Florida Blue Classic (Orlando)
Bayou Classic (New Orleans)
SWAC Championship (Houston)

In addition to sponsoring the Classic events above, Coors Light presented its annual scholarship donation to the 100 Black Men of Atlanta for Project Success.

"Supporting higher education and investing in our communities have always been priorities for us as a brand," said Joe Sargent of the Coors Light multicultural marketing team. "The HBCU Classics are a great way to celebrate the unique culture and experience these institutions offer, and we're happy to continue supporting higher learning within the African-American community."

While some schools were able to claim victory on the field during the game or the battle of the bands, all of the participating HBCUs walked away with much needed resources provided by Coors Light. In addition to donations, the brand hosted a series of events surrounding the Classics. These events included VIP tailgates in each city with live entertainment from nationally recognized hip-hop artists and DJs, such as hit producer, Mannie Fresh. Refreshments were prepared by former Hell's Kitchen finalist Chef Jason Ellis, who cooked delicious food with Coors Light. Legal drinking age consumers also were invited to join Ellis at cooking-with-beer demonstrations at various retail locations.

About Coors Brewing Company
Coors Brewing Company was founded in 1873 by Adolph Coors, who chose the Clear Creek Valley in Golden, Colo., for his new brewery because of the pure water in the nearby Rocky Mountain springs. The brewery's original and most enduring beer is Coors Banquet (Coors.com, Facebook.com/CoorsBanquet), still brewed exclusively in Golden using only Rocky Mountain water and high-country barley. Coors Light (CoorsLight.com, Facebook.com/CoorsLight, @CoorsLight on Twitter) was introduced in 1978 and now is the second-best-selling beer in the United States. Triple-filtered smooth Keystone Light (KeystoneLight.com, Facebook.com/KeystoneLight) is one the country's most popular economy beers. Coors Brewing Company operates in the United States and Puerto Rico as part of MillerCoors, a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at Facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151211/295401

SOURCE Coors Brewing Company