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nwmissourinews.com

Thursday | November 13, 2014

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BREE SKIPPER | NW MISSOURIAN

For 12 years, Arrowhead Stadium and Pitt State were synonymous for Bearcats fans. In the 13th edition of the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Stadium, Washburn rejuvenates the game in its replacement of Pitt State.

A NEW BEGINNING

New chapter of Fall

Classic begins between
Northwest, Washburn
BRANDON ZENNER
Editor in Chief | @brandonzenner

or 12 years, a mid-October trip

to Kansas City was the most
important event on a calendar
for Bearcats football fans. Arrowhead
Stadium gave fans of two Division II
powerhouse programs a chance to
feel like a part of the big leagues.
The venue has not changed;
the opponent has. Saturday, fans
will know how the significance has
changed. Sub-40 degree temperatures, possible snow and a Washburn
team boasting a 4-6 record could
show just how much Pitt State meant
to the Fall Classic.
Gary Bradley became a follower
of the Bearcats when he came to
Northwest in the early 90s until his
graduation in 1996. Between storming the field at Nebraska-Omaha in
1997 and making the trip to Florence,
Alabama for championship games,
some of his fondest memories lie in
Arrowhead Stadium against the Pitt
State. While Bradley is sad to see
them go, he thinks Northwest fans
should bring the same enthusiasm
they have for the past 12 years.
Its new for their program, so
Id hope they (Washburn) would
bring a lot of fans, Bradley said. As
Pitt showed in years past, when you
have little to play for, it can be hard
for struggling programs to draw the
kind of fan support that a venue like
Arrowhead merits. (Northwest is) in
a win and were in situation with the
playoffs, so our fans need to support
the team
Just how many fans will show up

in support of the Bearcats and Ichabods remains in question until the

gates of Arrowhead Stadium open
Saturday. As of Tuesday, Northwest
sold 3,620 tickets.
Those numbers alone show that
the tradition has changed.
In the five years leading up to
2002, Mel Tjeerdsma had his way
with Pitt State. As the head coach
of the Northwest Bearcats football
team, he won five consecutive games
against the Gorillas, including three
wins in rival territory 200 miles south
of Maryville.
Then-Athletic Director Dr. Bob
Boerigter, now commissioner of the
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic
Association, approached Tjeerdsma
in the spring about the possibility of
playing Pitt State off-campus, as renovations to Bearcat Stadium were not
expected to be finished for the midOctober game.
That fall, Northwest and Pitt
State traveled to as close to a neutral site as possible. Pitt State had to
travel 19 miles further than Northwest, but those 19 miles transformed
the Northwest football program. The
original matchup took place on a
Thursday night and set a Division II
attendance record of 26,695. Beginning in 2003, the matchup was moved
to Saturdays and draws an average of
more than 20,000 fans.
It was so successful that next
year, Pitt decided to do the same thing
with the game, and it was very successful again, Tjeerdsma said. From
that point on, we did everything together split all the expenses, split all
the profits and it was a great deal for
both of us.
After the 2013 affair, the two
ends failed to meet eye-to-eye and
Pitt State would not sign a contract to
continue the Fall Classic. A $5 million
contribution by the city of Pittsburg
to build a new indoor facility caused

hesitation from the community to

continue the game in Arrowhead.
I certainly understood it took
us a long time before they finally made
the decision that No, were not gonna
do it anymore. Now that they beat us
here on homecoming, theyll never do
it again, Tjeerdsma chuckled.
Out went Pitt State, leaving
Northwest with the hope of finding a potential opponent to continue
the annual game loved so much by
the Bearcat faithful. Tjeerdsma knew
how much it meant to the players and
coaches to walk through the home of
the Kansas City Chiefs, so he began to
play interest from possible schools in
the area.
According to Tjeerdsma, Northwest presented the idea to Central
Missouri, but they just dont want
to do it. Then, the Bearcats struck
gold and found new life at Arrowhead
Stadium when they found interest
from Washburn. Northwest officially
announced the matchup Aug. 2, and
moved the event from its usual midOctober date to the last game of the
regular season.
Northwest and Washburn agreed
to a two-year contract, with the option of a two-year renewal. Despite
the Ichabods underwhelming 4-6 record and possibility of rough weather,
Tjeerdsma believes Washburn, located one hour west of Kansas City, will
travel well for its first Fall Classic.
I think they have got some anxiety, just because of their record, but I
think their fans will really turn out,
Tjeerdsma said. Going into it out of
spring, we said there was two risks.
Number one is the date you always
have a risk with weather. The second
risk is, that late in the year, one of the
two teams could have not a real good
record. Were looking at that a little bit.
Despite Washburns mediocre record, it brings in a two-game winning
streak against Northwest, who has an

opportunity to all but clinch a playoff

spot. The Bearcats can also clinch at
least a share of the MIAA title while
going 20-1 against one of the top conferences in Division II over the past
two years.
Its very exciting. I know how
blessed I am to be sitting here and to
be the head coach here, Head Coach
Adam Dorrel said. the buzz thats
in there (the locker room), I felt it
Sunday and I felt it again (Tuesday).
Our kids are very excited Saturday
is a huge football game for our program, for our kids and for our fans.
Promoting the Fall Classic against
an opponent of Pitt States caliber has
been easy for Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing, Promotions and
Licensing Nate Davis. With a switch
in opponent, Davis says the athletic
department has not changed promotion tactics and is relying on the tradition of Bearcats football.
The team itself is always kind
of a big draw so we havent had to
change our methods because its been
such a success, Davis said. There
was some initial disappointment because Pitt State was such a good rivalry Our fans are as loyal as any in
the country at showing up on Saturday and supporting the team.
The fans have played a big role in
the success of Northwest at Arrowhead Stadium over the years. Over
the 12 years, the average attendance
is slightly more than 20,000 fans, and
the revenue shows it. After splitting
all expenses, Tjeerdsma says the athletic department banks between three
and four times more than a Saturday
at Bearcat Stadium.
With Northwests joint athletic
department, the revenue benefits all
sports and is a significant reason for
the annual return for the Bearcats. Another reason, according to Tjeerdsma,
is the appeal it brings to recruiting.
Arrowhead is a big deal. The

Sophomore Cass Weitl looks at the scoreboard at the Fall Classic against Pitt State Oct. 19, 2013.

FILE PHOTO | NW MISSOURIAN

Chiefs are a big deal Tjeerdsma

said. To be able to walk into the
house of a high school senior and
say You know what, for the next five
years, youre gonna be making a trip
to Arrowhead Stadium and playing in
that stadium, thats a big thing.
As the home team in 2014,
Northwest is able to bring recruits to
the Fall Classic as a visit, something
that Washburns Sports Information
Director Gene Cassell is looking forward to in 2015. With the attention it
brings to the University and the football program, Cassell said the Ichabods were quick to jump on board.
It was something that people
on campus were on board with in the
higher-ups in the administration,
and figured it would be a good opportunity for us, Cassell said. We
thought it would be good for our program to get some exposure I think
the opportunities are going to be better for us to be able to bring potential
recruits through Arrowhead, take
them through the locker rooms and
out on the field and everything else
Its a little different than playing in a
six or 7,000 seat stadium.
This game is unlike any game
Washburn has played; not so much
for Northwest. Tjeerdsma, along with
the athletic department, knew the
risks that came with a mid-November
game against a new opponent. The
success of the change may not need to
wait until after the 2015 matchup and
could be seen come 2 p.m. Saturday.
It will be different. Pitt StateNorthwest has been a huge rivalry.
Just from a tradition standpoint, since
2002, eight of those 12 years, one of
the two teams has been to the national championship game, Tjeerdsma
said. That doesnt happen very often
in any kind of rivalry, so that has a
look to do with it.
Were looking to a new beginning with Washburn.