College of DuPage Chaparrals Take on Mesabi Range Community College Norsemen in Second Annual Red Grange Bowl
The College of DuPage Chaparrals will face Minnesota's Mesabi Range Community College Norsemen in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) second annual Red Grange Bowl at COD's Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.
The game kicks-off at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Bjarne Ulsvik Stadium. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. The game will be broadcast on Sports Radio America.
Defending Red Grange Bowl champions, the COD Chaparrals were 6-3 in their regular season and boast a strong defense, ranked among the top 10 by the NJCAA the last several years. The Virginia, MN-based Norsemen are ranked second in the Minnesota Community College Conference.
The Chaparrals have played in bowl games five of the last six years and Chaparral Head Coach Matt Foster is excited for what he said is a good match-up of the two teams.
"The Norsemen are a good team. They played for the championship last year and just ended a strong season," he said. "Looking at the overall stats for both teams, we're pretty even and we're looking forward to having them on campus and playing a good game."
The Dec. 2 Red Grange Bowl is the culminating event of a weekend-long celebration of the legacy of Harold Edward "Red" Grange.
Grange spent most of his childhood in Wheaton and attended Wheaton High School, where he played football, baseball, basketball and ran track. He earned 16 varsity letters during his tenure and as a high school junior scored 36 touchdowns and led the school to an undefeated season. The two-time NFL champion football halfback played for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears and, for a short-time, the New York Yankees.
Tickets to the football game are $10 each. Additionally, a limited number of tickets for the Nov. 30 bowl banquet also are available for $25 each. The banquet features guest speakers Tim Lester, head football coach at Western Michigan University, and
Brigadier General Brian R. Layer of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command.
Click here for all Red Grange Bowl details or to purchase tickets online. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House charities.
The Red Grange Bowl is made possible in part with support from the Illinois National Guard, Evviva Restaurant, Hilton Hotel Lisle, Packey Webb Ford, Ellyn's Tap & Grill, Glen Ellyn Walmart Supercenter,
College of DuPage is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association, National Junior College Athletic Association Region IV and North Central Community College Conference (N4C). The College's Athletics program offers nine men's and eight women's sports teams each year, including outdoor track and field, indoor track and field, cross country, football, volleyball, golf, basketball, tennis, baseball, softball and soccer. All home games are played on the Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd., and are free and open to the public.