Northwest Missouri State University’s Department of Athletics has announced the Bearcats will play their Saturday, Oct. 1, football game against the University of Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
The Bearcats have not played at Arrowhead since the 2013 season, and it will be the first appearance for Central Missouri. Game time has been set for 5 p.m. to coordinate with the Kansas City Royals home game scheduled for that afternoon.
“I want to thank our University leadership and the Kansas City Chiefs for their hard work to provide our football program with this opportunity,” head football coach Adam Dorrel said. “So many things go into this process, and the result is an incredible showcase for our fans and supporters in one of the top outdoor football venues in the United States. Kansas City has always been such a great base for our program, and our track record of success and record-setting crowds speak for themselves. It’s the area of our largest alumni base and as we saw during last year’s national championship game, Bearcat Nation out in full force is an amazing sight.”
Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs, played host to 12 annual meetings between the Bearcats and the Pittsburg State Gorillas. Northwest is 9-3 all time at Arrowhead. In the 12 contests at Arrowhead, the Bearcats have averaged over 29 points per game and have seven crowds of over 20,000. In 2013, Northwest defeated Pittsburg State, 24-15, in front of 17,369 in attendance.
“I can’t tell you how much our student-athletes enjoy this experience,” Dorrel said. “Our senior class got to play there as freshmen, and we couldn’t pass up the chance to return to Arrowhead. It is a tremendous benefit to our program and provides a memorable experience for our team, staff, students, alumni, spirit squad, Bearcat Marching Band and many others. We take pride in being one of the few Division II institutions who get to play in an NFL stadium and I would encourage any Bearcat fan who hasn’t experienced Northwest football at Arrowhead to join us October 1st.”
