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By KEITH NIEBUHR
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 25, 2001
The Florida-Georgia All-Star Football Classic, which for 17 years was played during the summer, has been moved to Dec. 29 and will be held in conjunction with the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Florida Athletic Coaches Association executive director Wink Barnette said.
In recent years, many top players have skipped the classic over fears they might injure themselves and thus be unable to play as freshmen in college. Some college coaches have asked signed recruits to skip the game.
"This is a good idea," Barnette said. "With the game in December, players will be in better condition because the season will have just ended. And if they get injured, they've got plenty of time to recover."
Barnette said the game most likely will be played at the Georgia Dome. The 2002 game will be held in Florida.
Last year, the classic was played in Knoxville, Tenn., as part of a doubleheader with the Tennessee-Kentucky all-star game, because of sponsorship and venue problems.