Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 5, 1994 TAG: 9412300054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Two football teams, each looking for its first NCAA Division III title, will meet for the first time Saturday at Salem Stadium in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.
The Presidents of Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) and the Britons of Albion (Mich.) will face each other at noon in the 22nd annual game, which will be televised live by ESPN.
More than 4,200 tickets have been sold for the game, which was a sellout last year in its inaugural appearance in Salem. The recent addition of supplemental press boxes has dropped the stadium's seating capacity from 7,304 to 7,136.
``It's always good to have so-called local teams, so they can bring some fans,'' said Wayne Burrow, an assistant director of championships for the NCAA. ``That's one of the reasons we came to Salem [from Bradenton, Fla.]. It brought us closer to the concentration of Division III schools.''
Burrow said W&J was supplied with 750 tickets, while Albion received 500 to sell on campus beginning today. If either school sells its initial allotment, the NCAA will issue more tickets based on need and availability.
Greater sales are expected at W&J, based on proximity and past experience. More than 1,500 W&J fans made the trip to Bradenton in 1992 to watch the Presidents in their only other Stagg Bowl appearance.
W&J, which has an enrollment of about 1,200, is located in Washington, Pa., about 30 minutes southwest of Pittsburgh. The Presidents (11-1), national runners-up to Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1992, are champions of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
An official at W&J said the school had sent out approximately 10,000 postcards to alumni informing them of the Presidents' Stagg party and that he expected to sell between 2,000 and 3,000 tickets.
Albion fans have a little farther to travel. The school, which has an enrollment of approximately 1,650, is located in south-central Michigan.
The Britons (12-0) completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season en route to their sixth consecutive title in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Among the Albion alumni expected to be in Salem to watch the Britons in their first Stagg Bowl appearance is Cedric Dempsey, executive director of the NCAA. Albion is the first school from Michigan to appear in the Division III championship game.
Albion and W&J have a similar style of play: aggressive, smash-mouth football. The Britons average 457 yards total offense per game, while giving up 256. The Presidents average 403 yards on offense, while yielding 173, including only 36 yards rushing per game.
The teams are scheduled to arrive in Salem on Thursday.
Tickets can be purchased through the Salem Civic Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations for $8 in advance, $10 on game day and $5 for fans high school age and younger. For information, call 375-3004, 343-8100 or 1-800-288-2122.
by CNB