After a successful inaugural event, the Lone Star Football Festival will return to Cowboys Stadium in 2012 as a two-day, six-game event that includes all nine Lone Star Conference football teams.
The games will be held as tripleheaders on Friday, September 14, and Saturday, the 15th, with four conference contests, a non-conference matchup and high school game. Game times are set for Noon, 4 and 8 p.m. each day.
“Last year’s festival proved to be a shining moment for the Lone Star Conference, and we’re confident this year’s version will be even better with all nine teams involved,” LSC commissioner Stan Wagnon said. “Our vision for this event remains to showcase LSC football programs while providing the LSC member schools with an opportunity to reconnect with alumni throughout North Texas. There’s no better place to do that than Cowboys Stadium.”
Friday’s lineup includes two conference games and a high school contest, with Incarnate Word versus Eastern New Mexico at Noon, followed by Texas A&M-Commerce against Midwestern State and the high school matchup between teams to be announced at a later date.
On Saturday, the action starts with Angelo State in opposition to two-time NCAA Division II national champion Valdosta State from the Gulf South Conference, followed by a pair of LSC clashes with Tarleton State against Abilene Christian at 4 p.m. and Texas A&M-Kingsville versus West Texas A&M at 8 p.m.
Admission to the event will be offered in daily tickets for Friday or Saturday’s games along with an option for two-day festival passes, with tickets to go on sale later this spring.
The 2011 Lone Star Football Festival drew an LSC attendance record 24,837 fans to a tripleheader of games, which included Midwestern State defeating Texas A&M-Commerce 63-17 in the Harvey Martin Classic, North Alabama stopping Abilene Christian 23-17, and West Texas A&M using a quick start to top Texas A&M-Kingsville 42-21.
The LSC, founded in 1931, has a proud history as one of the nation’s greatest small college football leagues. The conference made its mark in the NAIA, especially from 1969 to 1979 when four LSC schools combined to win 10 national titles in that 11-season span. The LSC became affiliated with the NCAA in 1982 and now is annually well-represented in the Division II playoffs, with more than a dozen former players currently on NFL rosters.
Cowboys Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced sports and entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world’s largest HD quality video board, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world.
Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 and expandable to 100,000, 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year round.
In addition to being the new home of the Dallas Cowboys and the annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, the stadium will host the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four and already served as home to Super Bowl XLV in 2011, 2010 NBA All-Star Game and 2009 and 2010 Big 12 Championship football games. For more information on Cowboys Stadium, go to: http://stadium.dallascowboys.com
Lone Star Football Festival Schedule
Friday, September 14, 2012
TIME – VISITOR vs. HOME
Noon – Incarnate Word vs. Eastern New Mexico
4:00 – Texas A&M-Commerce vs. Midwestern State
8:00 – High School Game (Teams TBD)
Saturday, September 15, 2012
TIME – VISITOR vs. HOME
Noon – Valdosta State vs. Angelo State
4:00 – Tarleton State vs. Abilene Christian
8:00 – Texas A&M-Kingsville vs. West Texas A&M