Special ticket prices, festivities for BOTPW
9/13/2016 10:50:00 AM | Football
The 91st Battle of the Piney Woods presented by H-E-B is two weeks from Saturday as tickets are on sale for the annual matchup between Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin at Houston's NRG Stadium. This year, the Oct. 1 kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
This year, Bearkat athletics is offering a Papa John's Family Pack. Fans can take advantage of four tickets, four sodas and four personal pizzas for just $75 by calling the Sam Houston ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
Festivities for this year's event get underway with the fifth annual Battle of the Piney Woods Luncheon in conjunction with the Touchdown Club of Houston. The event is scheduled for noon, Thursday, Sept. 29, at the JW Marriott (5150 Westheimer at Sage) in the Houston Galleria.
The Sam Houston State-Stephen F. Austin Luncheon, presented by Texas Barge & Boat and Midway Energy Services, will feature Sam Houston coach K.C. Keller and athletic director Bobby Williams as well as SFA football coach Clint Conque and athletic director Robert Hill.
Tickets are $50 each. Tables are $500 (regular table), $600 (bronze sponsorship), $1,000 (silver sponsorship), $1,500 (gold sponsorship) and $2,500 (platinum sponsorship). All tables are 10 seats each.
To order tickets, go to the Touchdown Club of Houston's website at touchdownclub.org, and click on the PayPal button. For more information, or to arrange to pay with checks, please call the TD Club's Neal Farmer at 713-849-9860, or e-mail nfarmer07@att.net.
BEARKAT-LUMBERJACK RIVALRY FACTS
• This year's Sam Houston vs. Stephen F. Austin meeting marks the 91st renewal of the “Battle of the Piney Woods,” making the game the third oldest continuous college football rivalry in Texas.
• 103 athletes who went on to play in the National Football League (including seven who have appeared in Super Bowls) have participated in past “Battle of the Piney Woods” games.
• Sixty-one NCAA Division I All-Americans have played in the SHSU-SFA rivalry contests.
• The Kats-Jacks rivalry dates back to 1923. Sam Houston holds a 52-36-2 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.
• Ten of the last 15 “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. The Kats are seeking to match that in 2016.
• This year's matchup marks the eighth time the “Battle of the Piney Woods” has been held in Houston. The Kats and the Jacks battled to a 14-14 tie in the Astrodome in 1976.
