December 3, 2010 for Immediate Release Kansas

DECEMBER 3, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY ACCEPTS INVITATION TO PLAY IN NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL; WILL FACE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY IN THE INAUGURAL EVENT

The Kansas State Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play the Syracuse Orange in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl, scheduled for December 30, 2010, at Yankee Stadium. Kansas State Director of Athletics John Currie accepted the invitation late Thursday night.

Kickoff for the 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 30. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN, which has also secured national and local radio rights for ESPN Radio.

“We are excited to have the Kansas State Wildcats representing the Big 12 Conference in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl,” said New York Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner. “Throughout his life, my father was a huge fan and supporter of college football, and we are proud to continue the storied tradition of the sport in Yankee Stadium. December 30 will be an unforgettable day for players and fans of Kansas State and Syracuse.”

The contest will mark the first NCAA football bowl game in the Bronx since the Gotham Bowl on December 15, 1962, when Nebraska edged Miami (Fla.), 36-34, at the original Yankee Stadium.

Based in Manhattan, Kans., the Kansas State Wildcats finished the season 7-5 and became bowl eligible for the first time since 2006. The Wildcats’ seven regular season victories in 2010 were the most since 2006 and included home wins over UCLA, Texas and No. 25 Central Florida. Kansas State is led by Head Coach Bill Snyder, in his second stint as head of the football program. A member of both the Kansas and Missouri Sports Hall of Fames, Snyder has led the Wildcats to a combined 149-79-1 record in his 19-years at the helm.

“We couldn’t be more excited to showcase our football program, Kansas State University and our national alumni and fan base in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl, and I am pleased to accept the invitation on behalf of President Kirk Schulz, Coach Bill Snyder and our entire institution,” Currie said. “The chance for our student-athletes, band members, cheerleaders and fans to experience New York City and compete in one of the most famous venues in all of sports is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We look forward to turning the Big Apple purple.”

“We are proud of the young men in our program and the courage they have shown this season to get Kansas State University back to a bowl game, and we are very pleased to represent the Big 12 Conference in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse,” Snyder said. “The New York Yankees are a first-class organization and we appreciate the Steinbrenner family, Randy Levine, Lonn Trost, Mark Holtzman and the entire Pinstripe Bowl staff for their efforts and support of collegiate football.”

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KANSAS STATE ACCEPTS INVITATION TO PLAY IN INAUGURAL NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL continued,

The New Era Pinstripe Bowl will mark the first time that the Wildcats have ever played a game at the current or original Yankee Stadium and their first postseason appearance in the state of New York. Overall, it will be the third time that the team has played in New York State – its first time since 1966.

K-State has faced Syracuse on two occasions all-time on the gridiron with both coming in bowl games. The Wildcats defeated the Orange, 35-18, in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl before dropping a 26-3 contest in the 2001 Insight.com Bowl.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Kansas State to the 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl,“ said Mark Holtzman, Yankees Executive Director of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. “We are looking forward to celebrating the Holiday season with college football at Yankee Stadium, and this matchup between Kansas State and Syracuse brings together two teams with first-class football programs and dedicated fan bases.”

Players, coaches and university staff of New Era Pinstripe Bowl participants Syracuse and Kansas State will take part in events in the days prior to the bowl game, showcasing their respective universities to the New York metropolitan area.

Special events, promotions and community outreach will take place throughout New York City during the week of the bowl game to create an unforgettable experience for fans and families of the visiting teams.

On Wednesday, it was announced that the New Era Pinstripe Bowl has organized a series of community initiatives with New York City’s Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), including installing a new all-grass football field at Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx, hosting the PSAL Football Championship Game on Tuesday, December 7 at 5:00 p.m. and honoring the best scholar-athletes in New York City at an “MVP Dinner” on Monday, December 20, at Yankee Stadium.

During the week prior to the game, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation will host instructional youth tackle football clinics at Macombs Dam Park, located across the street from Yankee Stadium. The park will also hold a “Battle of the Bands,” for invited high school performing arts students on the morning of the bowl game, featuring the marching bands of the two schools competing in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

Tickets for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl are currently available at www.pinstripebowl.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets. The official Web site of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl can be accessed by fans for up-to-the-moment information regarding the game and to sign up to volunteer.

The New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be the second college football game to take place at Yankee Stadium. Notre Dame defeated Army on November 20, 2010, in front of a sold out crowd of 54,201 – the largest crowd yet at the current Yankee Stadium. Additionally, the Stadium will also host a series of Army home football games vs. Rutgers in 2011, Air Force in 2012 and Boston College in 2014.

—nyy—