For 15 years, the Down East Viking Football Classic has drawn thousands of Elizabeth City State University alumni and football fans to Rocky Mount, filling up hotels and packing restaurants. Delicious barbecue, football and a series of events acclimating youth to the college atmosphere have been the classic’s mainstays, and the event continues to have a large economic and social impact on the area. The Classic draws an estimated 15,000 visitors to Rocky Mount, providing an economic impact in the area that has been estimated at between $500,000 and $800,000. Held at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex since 2006, the complex and its offerings have grown, attracting an estimated 72,000 visitors with an economic impact of more than $7 million in 2012.