MU to play Kansas in KC
Published Jan. 23, 2007
KANSAS CITY — The Border Showdown football game between MU and the University of Kansas is getting a makeover.
During a press conference Monday, Carl Peterson, general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, said the rivalry game would be held at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for at least the next two seasons. The game will continue to be held the weekend after Thanksgiving.
"I think it will be something tremendously special for Kansas City," Peterson said.
Peterson said 19 years ago, he discussed the neutral-site game with late Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt.
"This is something (Hunt) desired for many years," Peterson said.
Peterson said the Hunt name would be attached to the game, whether it is the name of the trophy or the game itself.
Joining Peterson at the press conference was MU Chancellor Brady Deaton, athletic director Mike Alden and coach Gary Pinkel, along with KU athletic director Lew Perkins and KU coach Mark Mangino.
Alden said the issue was raised at the Big 12 Conference meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., in June.
"Things started moving in a great direction," Alden said.
Pinkel said his team was excited to play at a professional stadium and for more recruitment opportunities, but Mangino said he was excited that the game would be played in the "backyard" of KU.
"It's not like a long road trip," Mangino said. "It's right next door — familiar territory."
Perkins said he doesn't consider this a road game for KU, but the teams will rotate which is home and away each year. In 2007, KU will be the "home" team and MU will be in 2008. The home team will be able to control who can buy tickets, just as the home team would in a game in Lawrence, Kan., or Columbia.
The home team will get the majority of the tickets, but Peterson said "we'd like to see the stadium divided 50/50."
Arrowhead has 79,101 seats, but the majority of tickets could go to Chiefs season ticket holders. The Chiefs have approximately 70,000 season ticket holders.
"The ticket holders will have priority over the general public," Peterson said.
Peterson said a "check off" has been mailed out to all season ticket holders to gauge the interest within the community to get tickets to the game. March 1 is speculated as the date the tickets will go on sale to the general public.
Peterson said students would be provided with discounted tickets so they can get to the games. For the general public, Peterson said tickets could be around $50-$60 a ticket.
KU will include the game in its season ticket package, but MU will not. The decision to not include the neutral-site game in the package is consistent with the annual basketball game against Illinois, played in St. Louis.
Perkins said putting the game on the season ticket package could lower the price for KU students.
Although St. Louis fans will have to drive two hours further than a game scheduled in Columbia, Pinkel said the team is "sensitive to all (its) fans."
Pinkel said if the team played in St. Louis, fans from Kansas City would make the trip and he expects it to be the same.
The payoff for both teams will be $1 million to each team both years of the match-up. For a regular away game, the road team would make no profit. The $1 million would go mostly to the athletic departments at each school.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association added a 12th game to the college football season last season. Mangino said this would allow for each team to maintain six home games and still play a neutral site game.
Peterson said minor renovations and National Football League scheduling would not affect the rivalry game.
Sometime throughout the two-year stint in Kansas City, officials plan to readdress the plans.
"At this point we have only discussed two years," Peterson said. "We hope it's a great experiment."