ABILENE – Local football fans looking for an entertainment option in Abilene on the night of Thursday, Aug. 27, need look no further than Shotwell Stadium.
That night, ACU will host Northwest Missouri State in the first game of the Champions Classic, and ACU has a bevy of pre-game activities scheduled to help attract fans to the game.
The game will be broadcast to a national TV audience on CBS College Sports, the first time a game has ever been nationally televised from Shotwell Stadium. Fans will also be asked to participate in a "Purple-Out" promotion, and they'll have a chance to register to win cash prizes.
"This will be a great opportunity to showcase Abilene and the Big Country on a national television broadcast, and we want to see those stands at Shotwell full of people wearing purple," ACU director of athletics
Jared Mosley said. "We've got a lot of great events that will be taking place before the game that we believe will get fans excited and ready for the game."
An ACU-sponsored tailgate party will begin at 5 p.m. in the west parking lot of Shotwell Stadium. The party is open to the public and the food is free. However, donations will be accepted with the money going to benefit both the NCAA Division II Make-A-Wish Foundation and the family of 3-year-old Tatum Flaming, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
At the tailgate party, ACU will also have inflatables for kids and adults, as well as other activities. Fans can also register for a pair of in-game contests: the $10,000 State Farm Kick For Cash contest, and another $10,000 contest that gives one fan a chance to win the money if the Wildcats return either the opening kickoff or the second-half kickoff for a touchdown.
The game is also part of Military Appreciation Night at Shotwell Stadium, and admission to the game is $1 with a military ID card. Col. Kenneth R. Tatum Jr., vice commander, 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base will be on the field for pre-game recognition and to be part of the coin flip, and fans will be treated to a C-130 flyover of Shotwell before the kickoff.
Tickets for non-military fans are $10 for adults and $5 for students. ACU, however, has put together a package that will allow two adults and three students into the game for $25. The ACU Athletics ticket office in Moody Coliseum will be open next week, Monday-Wednesday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and again Thursday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
The game is also part of a "Purple-Out" promotion, and ACU is asking all fans to show up at the stadium wearing purple. The ACU athletics department will have 3,000 Gameday T-shirts at the stadium, and those will be sold for $3 apiece.
