April 11, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
University of Maryland has been selected to play in the prestigious Kickoff Classic in 2002 against one of the most storied programs in college football: Notre Dame.
The game, scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 25, 2002, will be played at 79,646-seat Giants Stadium located in East Rutherford, N.J. It will be televised nationally by ABC.
"Maryland is honored to be selected for this premier collegiate football event," said Deborah A. Yow, director of athletics. "To face Notre Dame for the first time in our university's history only adds to what should be a landmark event for our program. With a sizable alumni base within a three-hour radius of the Meadowlands, the Terps will be supported by thousands of fans. And, the national television exposure will be a plus to our recruiting efforts."
Said head coach Ralph Friedgen, "This is an outstanding way to start our 2002 football season. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the '91 Kickoff Classic when I coached at Georgia Tech, and it truly is an outstanding event. I know it will be memorable for everyone associated with our program: players, coaches, fans, and alumni."
The '02 Kickoff Classic is an exempted contest and will be in addition to Maryland's 12 regular season games that season. The 2002 game will be the final game in the Kickoff Classic series due to NCAA legislation that eliminates annual preseason exempted contests after the 2002 playing season.
Notre Dame, which played in the Fiesta Bowl this past January, has more consensus national titles (11) and Heisman Trophy winners (7) to its credit than any other university.
Two teams that played in the Kickoff Classic have gone on to win the national championship - Florida State (1993) and Nebraska (1994). In addition, five defending national champions have appeared in the Classic - Penn State, Miami, Brigham Young, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. Previous Kickoff Classic MVP's include Turner Gill (Nebraska), Derrick Brooks (Florida State), Tommie Frazier (Nebraska), Eddie George (Ohio State), Donovan McNabb (Syracuse) and Peter Warrick (Florida State).
The Kickoff Classic is managed by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority under the auspices of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Financial beneficiaries of the game include 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 18-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 $475,000 from its participation with the game.
Georgia Tech and Syracuse will meet in this season's Kickoff Classic, slated for Sunday, Aug. 26, at 2 p.m.
Ticket information for the 2002 game will be released at a later date.
Kickoff Classic History
Year Result
1983 Nebraska 44, Penn State 6
1984 Miami 20, Auburn 18
1985 Brigham Young 28, Boston College 14
1986 Alabama 16, Ohio State 10
1987 Tennessee 23, Iowa 22
1988 Nebraska 23, Texas A&M 14
1989 Notre Dame 36, Virginia 13
1990 USC 34, Syracuse 16
1991 Penn State 34, Georgia Tech 22
1992 North Carolina State 24, Iowa 14
1993 Florida State 42, Kansas 0
1994 Nebraska 31, West Virginia 0
1995 Ohio State 38, Boston College 6
1996 Penn State 24, USC 7
1997 Syracuse 34, Wisconsin 0
1998 Florida State 23, Texas A&M 14
1999 Miami 23, Ohio State 12
2000 USC 29, Penn State 5
