Southeast Missouri State to play SIUC in first football game at Busch Stadium

Southeast Missouri State has played Southern Illinois in football more than any other opponent, a total of 80 times in a rivalry that dates to 1909.

This year, for the first time, the contest will be held in St. Louis in a matchup that will also mark the first football game at the seven-year-old Busch Stadium.

And officials from both universities are excited about it.

Details for the 1 p.m. Sept. 21 contest were revealed Monday morning during a joint press conference with the St. Louis Cardinals, Southeast and SIU in the Busch Stadium press dining room.

"We'd like to thank the St. Louis Cardinals for the opportunity to play this game at Busch Stadium," Southeast prsident Kenneth W. Dobbins said in a release. "Nearly 40 percent of this year's freshmen class at Southeast is from the greater St. Louis region, and playing this game at Busch Stadium is exciting for all our students, and great exposure for our university and the Redhawk football program."

Southeast and SIU are located just 46 miles apart and have close to 40,000 alumni in St. Louis, as well as thousands of students from the St. Louis area.

"Southern Illinois is definitely Cardinals' country, so this is a great fit for our university and football program," SIU chancellor Rita Cheng said in a release. "It will be a great experience for our student-athletes and for our fans on both sides of the river."

The Redhawks and Salukis were scheduled to play in Cape Girardeau this season before officials from both universities reached an agreement with the Cardinals to move the game to Busch Stadium.

"From a proximity and distance standpoint, it just made sense to be able to hold a game that would draw mutual interest from both universities at a great venue like Busch Stadium," Southeast director of athletics Mark Alnutt said in the release. "This is something that's going to potentially get national exposure and it's a win-win for all parties involved."

The new Busch Stadium has hosted over a thousand special events since it opened in 2006, ranging from corporate meetings, weddings and charity events to major concerts such as the Dave Matthews Band, the Eagles and U2.

But this will be just the second major non-baseball sporting event held at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals will host an international soccer match between English Premier League teams Chelsea and Manchester City in May.

"We are thrilled to host our first football game in Busch Stadium such a large following in St. Louis," Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III said in the release. "We are excited to showcase the versatility of Busch Stadium as a multi-use venue ideally suited for special football games like this historic game between two longstanding rivals."

Southeast coach Tony Samuel, whose current roster lists 24 players from the St. Louis area, likes the matchup being played in that city.

"It's an opportunity for us to play in a big atmosphere and there's been a lot of excitement around this game," Samuel said in the release. "My hope is that we have a large crowd since both schools have so many alums in the area."

Southeast leads the all-time series against SIU 39-33-8 but the Salukis have won the past two meetings and six of the last seven. SIU romped 35-14 a year ago in Carbondale, Ill.

The Redhawks' most recent victory over SIU came during Southeast's historic 2010 season that featured the first Ohio Valley Conference title and first playoff berth on any level in program history.

Southeast went 3-8 overall and 2-6 in the OVC last year. SIU was 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Southeast has played three other football games in St. Louis. All were at the old Busch Stadium as an NCAA Division II affiliate. Southeast defeated Truman State (formerly Northeast Missouri State) in 1985 and 1986, and lost to Missouri S&T (formerly Missouri-Rolla) in 1988.

Tickets for this year's game start at $10 and will go on sale June 3. For ticket information and additional details, visit cardinals.com/football.