Bowers Stadium Readies for Season Opener
9/6/2012 7:54:00 PM | Football
The finishing touches are being put on Elliott T. Bowers Stadium as the long awaited "opening night" for the 2012 Sam Houston State football season comes Saturday night.
The University of Incarnate Word is the opponent for the Bearkats. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
New championship banners on the elevator towers at Bowers Stadium are the latest addition. The university also installed 979 orange chairback seats in the west section this summer and powerwashed the stadium.
BEARKAT FAMILY WEEKEND
The Sam Houston football game Saturday night will climax Bearkat Family Weekend on the Bearkat campus. Halftime festivities will feature the third annual Hillcrest Heroes celebration honoring Walker County are law enforcement, military and emergency service personnel.
SEASON OPENER
Sam Houston begins its 97th season of football by hosting the University of Incarnate Word from San Antonio at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Bearkats stand 52-40-4 all-time in their season openers and 17-9 in openers since Sam Houston moved up to the NCAA Division I level. The Kats have won 11 of their last 14 openers. SHSU is 10-4 at Bowers Stadium in contests that opened the season for Sam Houston State.
BEARKAT RADIO
KSAM 101.7 FM will broadcast all Sam Houston games home and away again. The broadcast also may be heard anywhere in the world online at www.gobearkats.com. Streaming video of home games at Bowers Stadium is also available at a modest rate.
FIRST MEETING WITH INCARNATE WORD
Sam Houston and Incarnate Word are meeting for the first time on the gridiron. This is the Cardinals' fourth season of competition. IWC has announced it is joining the Southland Conference.
BEARKATS NO. 1 IN SPORTS NETWORK POLL
Sam Houston opens the 2012 season ranked No. 1 in the Sports Network FCS national rankings. The Kats stand No. 2 behind defending NCAA Division I FCS national champion North Dakota State in the FCS Coaches' National Poll.
SAM HOUSTON PRESEASON SOUTHLAND PICK
Sam Houston is the favorite to repeat as Southland Conference champions according to the 2012 preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The Bearkats' 2011 Southland football championship was their fourth in the program's 25 years in the league. However, the first three were co-championships, making the 2011 title the Bearkats' first undisputed league crown.
A FEW CHAIRBACK SEASON TICKET OPPORTUNITIES STILL REMAIN
With season ticket sales at an all-time high, less than 28 of the orange chairbacks still are available. Season ticket sales will top 1,000 for the first time in Bearkat history."
The opportunity to watch the No. 1 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team in the nation in the comfort of the new orange chairback seats is not the only reason to purchase season tickets. Included in the season ticket package are games at Bowers Stadium Sept. 8 vs. Incarnate Word (Bearkat Family Weekend/Hillcrest Heroes), Oct. 20 vs. McNeese State (Homecoming) and Nov. 3 vs. Southeastern Louisiana. The package also includes the 87th "Battle of the Piney Woods" rivalry game presented by YP.com at Reliant Stadium in Houston Oct. 6.
TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Fans can order season tickets and individual game tickets online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
