RICHARDSON, Texas – West Texas A&M, along with four additional Lone Star Conference teams, will be playing football at the greatest stadium in the world next fall as LSC officials revealed plans to implement a Lone Star Football Festival, to be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Along with WTAMU, teams from Abilene Christian, Midwestern State, Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas A&M-Kingsville have been selected to represent the LSC in a tripleheader of games that will feature two conference contests and one marquee non-conference match-up.
The single-day event is planned for Saturday, September 17, 2011, at the $1.2 billion Arlington facility this February.
“This game will be a game that our fans, players and coaches will remember for a lifetime,” said WT head coach Don Carthel. “To be able to actually compete in the most unique stadium in America will definitely be something special for everyone who attends.”
Game times are planned for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., but the order of games has yet to be determined. A single ticket will be used for admission to the entire festival, with tickets set to go on sale in the coming weeks.
“We are honored to have been invited to participate in the inaugural LSC Football Festival at Cowboys Stadium,” added Michael McBroom, WT Director of Athletics. “We look forward to what promises to be a memorable experience for the student-athletes, alumni and fans of West Texas A&M Football.
“The festival will provide Lone Star Conference football teams with a tremendous opportunity to gain exposure in North Texas,” LSC commissioner Stan Wagnon said. “It will be special to see our student-athletes and coaches take center stage at the greatest athletic venue in America, and we’re grateful to the Dallas Cowboys for allowing us to play this event at Cowboys Stadium.”
“We are excited to be able to host the Lone Star Football Festival at Cowboys Stadium,” said Stephen Jones, COO of the Dallas Cowboys. “Our organization is committed to hosting great football, and this event gives us a chance to showcase some of the great college football programs from around the State of Texas right here in Arlington.”
Pairings for the conference games will be Midwestern State against Texas A&M-Commerce and West Texas A&M versus Texas A&M-Kingsville. The non-conference tilt will see LSC champion ACU tackling three-time NCAA Division II national champion North Alabama of the Gulf South Conference. UNA is coached by former Auburn head coach and TV analyst Terry Bowden.
“The timing was right for an event like this,” said Wagnon, whose league will be streamlined next year as a result of conference realignment. “The recent changes in our membership helped to form a core group of schools whose administrators have agreed to use athletic events like this to increase visibility and promote the overall brand of their universities.
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“With the festival, our members will have a great tool at their disposal in helping to reconnect with former students in North Texas while also reaching out to potential new students in the area,” Wagnon continued. “It’s a great way to raise awareness not just for LSC football, but also for the LSC universities as a whole.”
Currently, there are two Division II games played annually at NFL stadiums. Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg (Kan.) State meet each year at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, while Central Washington faces Western Oregon annually at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash.
Cowboys Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced sports and entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world’s largest HD quality video board, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world.
Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 and expandable to 100,000, 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year round.
In addition to being the new home of the Dallas Cowboys and the annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, the stadium will host Super Bowl XLV in 2011 and the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four and already served as home to the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and 2009 and 2010 Big 12 Championship football games. For more information on Cowboys Stadium, go to: http://stadium.dallascowboys.com.
