August 26, 2010

A pair of top-10 programs will be featured in the first college football game of the year in Kansas when the six-time national champion Butler Grizzlies face Texas powerhouse Navarro College.

The game, dubbed the Kickoff Classic, is presented by Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Blockbuster. It will be held on Thursday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. at Cessna Stadium on the Wichita State University campus. Butler is ranked sixth in the NJCAA preseason rankings, while Navarro is ranked fourth.

This will be the third straight year the Grizzlies have played their season opener at WSU. In 2008, Butler lost to Blinn College of Texas by a 23-20 score in front of a crowd of nearly 13,000. In 2009, Butler defeated Garden City 17-0 in front of 6,000 fans.

“We have built a nice tradition of bringing quality college football to Wichita,” said Butler Coach Troy Morrell. “This is a fun game for our student-athletes and allows us to showcase our top-notch football program to the greater Wichita area.”

Counting Region VI Championship games, which were held in Wichita from 2006 to 2008, Butler is 4-1 at Cessna Stadium under head coach Troy Morrell. Overall, Morrell’s record is 104-14 over 10 years, including national championships in 2003, 2007 and 2008.

Altogether, Butler has six national titles, having won in 1981, 1998 and 1999 as well. The Grizzlies are looking to get back atop the Jayhawk Conference standings after finishing as the runner-up last year. That snapped a streak of eight straight league championships.

Navarro, located just south of Dallas in Corsicana, Texas, has gone 22-2 over the past two years, beating Blinn in the regular season each year but losing to them in their playoff championship game. The Bulldogs finished last season by beating Mississippi Gulf Coast 37-26 in the Heart of Texas Bowl. Navarro won the 1989 NJCAA National Championship.

The Bulldogs have nine returning starters – six on offense and three on defense. They return three starting offensive lineman and have three players on defense who had at least 15 tackles a year ago. Navarro also returns a strong punter and kicker.

There will be a pre-game tailgate party south of Koch Arena. It is free with a game ticket.

Tickets remain unchanged as they are $8 in advance for general admission, $10 the day of the game. Children, college students and active military with valid ID are $5 for general admission. Reserved tickets are $15.

Tickets can now be purchased online at www.butlergrizzlies.com. Starting Monday, Aug. 16, tickets can also be purchased in person during regular business hours at three locations: the WSU Athletic Ticket Office at Koch Arena, the Butler Community College Service Center at 2626 S. Rock Rd Ste. #116, and the Butler Athletic Office in the 500 Building on the Butler of El Dorado campus.