Kevin White from an Alabama Newspaper. I would rather play the Arizona Wildcats than the Sun Gerbils if Mich State is going off for a couple of years.
Enough said... Tim Griffin Express-News Staff Writer Valero Alamo Bowl officials knew Notre Dame's announcement of an upcoming game at the Alamodome with Washington State would be popular with local sports fans. They just didn't expect such an immediate reaction. Fans started jamming the Alamo Bowl's phone lines only a few minutes after the announcement of the game was made Friday morning - even though tickets for the Oct. 31, 2009, game are still a long way from being available for purchase. "We've had a lot of people calling us, expressing interest for tickets already," Alamo Bowl president and chief executive officer Derrick Fox said. "We're not quite to that point yet, but we always knew there would be a lot of interest in having Notre Dame play down here." Fox and other Alamo Bowl officials courted Notre Dame officials for more than three years. Their work was rewarded when Notre Dame officials announced San Antonio as the first host for a series of Irish "home" games away from South Bend, Ind., beginning in 2009. The school announced Thursday it will play home games at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., in 2011 and 2014. No opponent has been named for either of those games. Moving a home game became feasible for Notre Dame after the school reached seven home games in several upcoming seasons. Their aim was to move games to football recruiting hotbeds such as Florida and Texas where the Irish traditionally don't play road opponents. "This game will be a tremendous opportunity to showcase our program in a new city, and in a state in which we have a strong emphasis in recruiting," Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White said. "We believe these events will provide great opportunities for fans to see our team play when they may be otherwise challenged to travel or obtain tickets for games in South Bend." Notre Dame traditionally has been the most active school in terms of scheduling neutral-site games. The idea has its roots in the 1920s, when Knute Rockne took his team, known as the "Ramblers," for games widely scattered around the country. The school's interest in taking games across the country intensified after the NCAA allowed teams to play 12-game regular seasons. Additionally, the Irish have committed to playing three football opponents from the Big East Conference, which serves as Notre Dame's conference for every sport but football. "When you looked at these games, along with our traditional opponents with schools like those from the Big Ten, Stanford, USC and Navy, we didn't have room for a lot of home-and-home series," Notre Dame senior associate athletic director John Heisler said. "That's why these off-site games have made sense to us." The Alamo Bowl's proven success in staging bowl games and the strong support the Army-Texas A&M game received in the city last season helped convince Notre Dame officials that San Antonio was the ideal place for them to start. The local bowl game will serve as the game's promoter. Bowl officials said they are actively pursuing local and title sponsorships to help defray costs. It will be Notre Dame's first football appearance in San Antonio and first in the state of Texas since a 24-3 loss at Texas A&M in College Station in 2001. The Irish are 12-4 in previous games in the state. Notre Dame has struggled recruiting in Texas in recent years. Only three players from Texas high schools are listed on the Irish's current roster. Texas has traditionally provided great players to previous Notre Dame teams, most notably 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown from Dallas and quarterback/wide receiver Carlyle Holiday, a Roosevelt grad who played in 2001-04. San Antonio's chances also were bolstered because Washington State officials were familiar with the city and the Alamodome after notching a 10-3 victory over Baylor in the 1994 Alamo Bowl. Current Washington State coach Bill Doba was on the staff of then-head coach Mike Price for that game. "In talking with (Washington State athletic director) Jim Sterk, he's told us that San Antonio remains one of their favorite bowl destinations," Fox said. "They still talk about the good time they had playing here 13 years ago." Washington State and Notre Dame have met once before. Notre Dame posted a 29-26 overtime victory over the Cougars in a 2003 game in South Bend, Ind. Doba is excited about getting another chance at his tradition-rich opponent. "It's Halloween and we will trick-or-treat them," Doba said. "It's always a privilege to play a team like Notre Dame. They have great tradition and it's going to be a great experience for our kids to play in the Alamodome. It is an excellent opportunity to play a first-class team in a neutral site." wgriffin@express-news.net MySA Ad Links
Terry, That would be fine with me too. We played Oklahoma on a home and home three or four years ago and we play Florida State this year and as I mentioned GT and PSU are on the slate, I would like to play one game a year against the likes of ND, SC, Neb, Texas, Mich, OSU etc. May not be the way to win a NC but man it would be good football.
so <t>when I read about this game earlier today, I had two thoughts:<br/> <br/> 1. I bet Tim Gentry is already in line for tickets<br/> and<br/> 2. I'm going to try like hell to be there.<br/> <br/> ND games away from ND are so much fun, perhaps because I feel so at home. Gip, Sid and their lovely wives have made us feel right at home, but there can be that 'distance' that one feels from SOME of the modern day alums when you are a subway attending a home game in South Bend.<br/> <br/> That is not the case on the road with the Irish. I've seen the Irish play in Los Angeles, Tallahassee and Atlanta. The old saying about there being no atheists in foxholes most certainly applies there. Oddly, one would think that Tally would be my pick for 'roughest spot' but that award goes to Atlanta. With FSU, there were SOME fans who were friendly, and others who seemed to be enjoying the fact that the Irish were playing at Doak. There was no such love in Atlanta, that was a distinctly hostile and very much anti-ND crowd.<br/> <br/> I think the contest in SAN will be quite a shock for some people. They will find out, much to their surprise, that the Irish will pack a house on the road a thousand miles from home. I, for one, am glad to see a return to the days of the Ramblers..</t>