Battle of the Bay (rivalry)

The Battle of the Bay between the Hampton Pirates and the Norfolk State State Spartans is a rivalry match-up in football between two HBCUs in the state of Virginia.

History
Private Hampton University and public Norfolk State University are both located in the Hampton Roads region of coastal Virginia. The two schools are located, respectively, in Hampton, Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia, across the James River from each other. As the name of the rivalry suggests, the James River empties into the Chesapeake Bay just downstream.

Hampton and Norfolk State were both members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the FCS. On November 16, 2017, Hampton announced that they were becoming a member of the Big South Conference in 2018. The two teams are scheduled to meet again through 2024.

The football series began in 1963 and has been played a total of 58 times as of 2023.