Maryland-Notre Dame Grid Clash Set For Aug. 31 On ABC-TV
1/29/2002 7:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 29, 2002
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -
Notre Dame and Maryland will meet in Kickoff Classic XX on Saturday, August 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET at
Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The game will be nationally televised by ABC Sports.
"The 2002 Kickoff Classic captures the essential character of our
college football tradition with a matchup of the country's leading
intercollegiate athletic programs," NJSEA President and CEO James A.
DiEleuterio, Jr. said. "We look forward to hosting the
student-athletes, coaches, families and fans of these two great
schools."
It will be the first grid meeting between the two schools. Maryland is coming off a 10-2 season, which included the school's first ACC title since 1985. Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willigngham will make his Fighting Irish coaching debut in the game.
Tickets for Kickoff Classic XX are $48. It is anticipated that each school will receive approximately 15,000 to 20,000 tickets. The ticket priority order deadline for Terrapin Club members and football season ticket holders is Friday, April 26. The first opportunity on purchase of tickets will go to Terrapin Club members. The second opportunity will go to football season ticket holders who are not Terrapin Club members. All seats sold through the University of Maryland will be assigned based on Terpoints. Twenty percent of Maryland's allotment will be set aside for purchase by University of Maryland students with a valid I.D.
If tickets remain, they will be made available to the general public on Monday, April 29.
This will mark the second appearance for Notre Dame in the Kickoff
Classic and first for Maryland. Notre Dame defeated Virginia, 36-13, in
the 1989 game. Notre Dame has a 9-0 record at Giants Stadium, most
recently a 28-27 win over Army on October 14, 1995.
Kickoff Classic XX will be the final Kickoff Classic due to NCAA legislation that eliminates preseason exempted games.
Two teams that played in the Kickoff Classic have gone on to win
the national championship -- Florida State in 1993 and Nebraska in 1994.
In addition, five defending national champions have appeared in the
Classic -- Penn State (1983), Miami (1984), Brigham Young (1985), Notre
Dame (1989) and Georgia Tech (1991).
The Kickoff Classic is managed by the NJSEA under the auspices of the
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Beneficiaries of the game are the National Football Foundation and
College Hall of Fame, the American Football Coaches Association, NACDA,
and the Independent College Fund of New Jersey.
In the 19-year history of the game, the NFF and College Hall of Fame
have received over $7 million in Kickoff Classic proceeds, much of which
has been distributed in post-graduate scholarships to deserving scholar
athletes. The Independent College Fund of New Jersey has received over
$500,000 from its participation with the game.
