Previous Central Pennsylvania All-Star Football games such as the 1960 Central Counties and the 1977-78 Lewistown Lion Club were "great football games," but were short lived.

In 1985, the Central Pennsylvania Football Coaches Association, with J. Gawen Stoker as the Game Director, initiated the Mid-State Classic under the corporate sponsorship of the Mid-State Bank. The game was established to promote scholastic football, to recognize excellence of our players and coaches, to provide a system of ongoing football education for our coaching staffs, and to fund a scholarship program. The first game involved players from twenty-five schools. Uni-Mart replaced Mid-State Bank as the game sponsor in 1993. Jack Bailey and Rob Irwin have served as Co-Game Directors for the Classic from 1996 to 2009. J. Gawen Stoker was the Game Director 2010-2011. Jim Zauzig has been our Game Director from 2012 to present. Larry Wiser & Tom Shearer will be Co-Game Directors starting in 2023.

In 1998, the Lezzer Lumber Company became the major sponsor for the Classic with the CPFCA maintaining the football and organizational aspects of the game. We are proud to continue our association with the Lezzer Lumber as the corporate sponsor. Currently, there are thirty-two schools from District VI and IX involved in the game.