A Classic Meeting to Start it All Off

Game 1
7:00 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27
Abilene Christian University Wildcats vs. Northwest Missouri State Bearcats

Game one of the Fifth Annual Action Sports Medicine Champions Classic is not only historic, it also matches two of the best NCAA Division II college teams in the nation - Abilene Christian University and Northwest Missouri State University.

The ACU Wildcats, who regularly enjoy the confines of Shotwell Stadium for their home games, will host the top-ranked Bearcats in a nationally televised game (a first for Shotwell Stadium) on the CBS Sports Network – one of the most anticipated games in the Division II 2009 schedule. It's also the first time in the history of football's opening weekend in Abilene that the local event has had a college game be part of the festivities.

Last year's 44-27 ACU win over the Bearcats in the season-opener for both teams propelled the Wildcats to a 10-0 regular-season record and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Region IV playoffs.  Northwest Missouri State, however, evened the score with the Wildcats with a 45-36 win at Shotwell Stadium in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.  The Bearcats went on to make their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Division II title game where they lost for the fourth straight time.

Northwest Missouri State, the national runner-up the last four seasons, has been picked to win its fourth consecutive MIAA championship by the league’s head coaches and media. The Bearcats have won the conference crown four of the last six seasons, and 10 times
in the last 13 seasons. With 14 returning seniors, most of them starters, and experienced juniors on board, the Bearcats' MIAA machine doesn't appear to have skipped a beat.

The game not only is expected to fill the stands in Shotwell Stadium and give Abilene a nice "nod" on national television, but it will go a long way in determining which team in the nation will have the inside track to the NCAA Division II national football championship title game in Florence, Alabama, on Dec. 12th.

The Champions Classic is in its fifth year and is promoted by the Sports Alliance Committee of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is an affiliate of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored by Action Sports Medicine and Rehab, along with Texas Chevy Dealers and WTU Retail Energy and other local sponsors.  The Sports Alliance was formed to increase the economic impact in the Abilene community through sporting events.  One goal is to raise money for scholarships awarded each year to graduating seniors from each of the local high schools.  To date, the Champions Classic has awarded $27,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors from Abilene High, Cooper High, Wylie High and Abilene Christian High schools.

2009 Featured Games

Game 1: Abilene Christian University vs. Northwest Missouri...............7:00 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27

Game 2: Abilene Cooper vs. Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt.................................7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 28

Game 3: Abilene High vs. Fort Worth Dunbar..........................................11:00 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 29

Game 4: Jim Ned vs. Merkel.......................................................................7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29