Orange Accepts Bid To Inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl
12/2/2010 1:56:00 PM | Football
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse University, New York's College Team, is making history in the Big Apple once again. On Thursday, the Orange formally accepted an invitation to represent the BIG EAST Conference in the first New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Syracuse will face a representative of the Big 12 in the inaugural contest on Thursday, Dec. 30 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (3:20 p.m., ESPN).
"This is truly exciting for our football program, the athletics department and the University. We are proud to be part of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in its inaugural year,” said Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross. “The Yankees are a class organization with tremendous history and we are excited about participating with them at Yankee Stadium. This is a fabulous opportunity for our institution as many alums live in the area and our fans can descend upon New York City for the holidays. We continue to want to represent as New York's College Team as we are the only BCS school in the state of New York and plan to paint the city Orange.
"We are very proud of head coach Doug Marrone and his team as they have the program headed in a championship direction. We are elated he can go home to the Bronx to lead his team in his first bowl game as head coach and continue the history of Syracuse football playing at Yankee Stadium."
“We are thrilled to have the Syracuse Orange representing the BIG EAST Conference in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl,” said New York Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner. “It is exciting for us to feature such a respected academic institution from the great state of New York in the first year of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. We expect the historic backdrop of Yankee Stadium and the many attractions of New York City to create a one-of-a-kind bowl event for the athletes participating and the legions of Syracuse fans that will have the opportunity to watch their team play in person.”
The Orange earned its first bowl bid since 2004 on the strength of a 7-5 record in Marrone's second season. Marrone, a life-long fan of the New York Yankees, is a Bronx native and a 1982 graduate of Herbert H. Lehman High School, located less than 10 minutes from Yankee Stadium.
Marrone's affinity for the Yankees isn't his only tie to the 27-time World Series champions. His maternal grandfather, Robert Thompson, worked as an usher at the old Yankee Stadium for nearly 20 years.
"When the announcement was made that a bowl game was going to be played in Yankee Stadium for the first time, my thought was that if we were not going to play in a BCS game, then how great would it be to play in the first college bowl game in Yankee Stadium in my first head coaching job,” said Marrone. “The opportunity to play in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in my hometown is part of the whole dream. New York State is our foundation. This is another step in our return to prominence."
Syracuse has a rich football history in New York City and the metropolitan area. The Orange is 5-1 all-time at Yankee Stadium, including a 3-0 victory against Pittsburgh in 1923 in the first college football game ever played there. In addition, the Orange has played seven times at the Polo Grounds in New York City and taken the field for games at Shea Stadium in Flushing, N.Y. and Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
"We're thrilled that the hard work of SU's student-athletes, Coach Marrone, and the entire SU football staff is being rewarded in this exciting turnaround season with a bid to the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl," said Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. "And there's no more appropriate venue for the game than iconic Yankee Stadium--so many members of the SU family will be able to see our team play in person and SU won the original stadium's first football game ever, nearly 90 years ago."
Future football trips to the New York City area are scheduled. The Orange will host USC at New Meadowlands Stadium in 2012. Syracuse will also host Penn State there in 2013 and Notre Dame there in 2014 and 2016.
Overall, this is Syracuse's 23rd bowl appearance. The Orange is 12-9-1 all-time in bowl games and owns a 3-2 bowl record against Big 12 opponents, including a 26-3 victory against Kansas State in the 2001 Insight.com Bowl.
Syracuse University has created a variety of attractive fan packages for those wishing to attend the game. Packages include various combinations of tickets, travel options, hotel accommodations and access to pre-game activities.
To purchase tickets and book travel packages, visit SUathletics.com/bowlcentral or call 866-832-6746.
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