Less than 7 weeks until 90th "Battle"
8/18/2015 8:26:00 AM | Football
One of the highlights of the 100th season of Sam Houston football will be the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” presented by H-E-B on Saturday, Oct. 3 at NRG Stadium in Houston, home of the NFL Texans.
The rivalry game that promises to be the biggest yet as both teams have been picked in the top 25 in preseason national FCS polls is less than seven weeks away.
Tickets still remain but good seats are going fast.
Here are some facts about the “Battle of the Piney Woods”:
• This year's Sam Houston vs. Stephen F. Austin meeting marks the 90th renewal of the “Battle of the Piney Woods,” making the game the third oldest current college football rivalry in Texas. Baylor and Texas are meeting this year for the 101st time while SMU and TCU fight for the “Iron Skillet” for the 92nd year this fall.
• A total of 112 athletes who went on to play in the National Football League (including 12 who have appeared in Super Bowls) have participated in past “Battle of the Piney Woods” games.
• Sixty-five NCAA Division I All-Americans have played in the SHSU-SFA rivalry contests
• The winner of the “Battle of the Piney Woods” showdown has gone on to become conference champions 17 times.
• Five of the last six years, the winner of the “Piney Woods” game has gone on to win the Southland Conference championship and advance to the NCAA playoffs.
• The Bearkats versus Lumberjacks rivalry dates back to 1923. Sam Houston holds a 52-35-2 edge in the series.
• Since 1923, Sam Houston and SFA have competed together in three conferences – the Lone Star, Gulf Star and (since 1987) the Southland.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States the last time there was a shutout in the “Battle of the Piney Woods.” The Kats blanked the Jacks 6-0 in 1959.
• During the 1930s, “The Battle of the Piney Woods” was an annual Thanksgiving Day event.
• Sixteen times since 1988, one or both teams have come into the “Piney Woods” shootout ranked among the nation's top 25 NCAA FCS teams.
• Eight of the last 13 “Battles” have been decided by eight points or less.
• The average weight of the players who participated in the first “Battle of the Piney Woods” football game in 1923 was 151 pounds.
• The longest winning streak by either Sam Houston or SFA in the “Battle of the Piney Woods” was the Bearkats' six consecutive wins from 1938 to 1946.
Each year the “Battle of the Piney Woods” presented by H-E-B has drawn bigger crowds. A record 26,788 were in the stands last season. To be part of the crowd this year, purchase tickets now online at www.gobearkats.com or by calling or visiting the Sam Houston athletic ticket office at (936) 294-1729. The ticket office is located on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
