For the third time in the rich history of one of the best football rivalries in the nation, the Cleveland Browns will serve as hosts for Saint Ignatius vs. St. Edward.
The 56th matchup between the Wildcats and Eagles will take place at FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday, October 26 at 7 pm.
Saint Ignatius and the Browns have a longstanding connection. The Wildcats played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium 27 times from 1932-1980, including a 1980 matchup with St. Edward.
The Wildcats and Eagles most recently played at FirstEnergy Stadium in 2016, when Saint Ignatius emerged with a 34-7 victory in front of a crowd of more than 17,000 fans in Downtown Cleveland. The Wildcats have a 30-24-1 series advantage after winning the last three contests.
Head Football Coach Chuck Kyle '69 played in two Charity Games in Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1967 and 1968. Kyle has fond memories of playing and coaching at the home of the Browns.
“The experience as a player was amazing,” said Kyle. “Coming onto the field where Jim Brown and all of these legendary players played was tremendous. For today’s kids, it’s just a great environment. This game can attract a crowd. The environment, the lighting and the pictures on the scoreboards, it’s an amazing experience.”
The Browns are also excited the rivalry matchup this year.
Through Browns Give Back, the Browns are committed to youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents to promote healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for participation and education.
“By hosting high school football at FirstEnergy Stadium, we have an exceptional opportunity to continue our support of education and youth football in Northeast Ohio, and we are eager to welcome Saint Ignatius’ and St. Edward’s students, coaches, band members, faculty and families to our stadium for what will be an exciting game,” said Cleveland Browns Vice President of Community Relations Jenner Tekancic. “It was an incredible atmosphere for everyone in 2016, and we look forward to creating another special experience for the Wildcats and Eagles when this historic rivalry game returns this fall.”
Through Browns Give Back, the Browns are committed to youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents to promote healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for participation and education.
As part of their dedication to education, youth and high school football and Cleveland, the Haslams in 2016 announced a commitment to provide five Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) fields with high-quality synthetic turf through a two-year project. The fields are available to all CMSD schools and are lined to accommodate multiple sports to offer more students opportunities to benefit from the upgraded playing surfaces. In 2018, the field project expanded beyond Cleveland with the refurbishments of a field at Roy C. Start High School in Toledo and George Daniels Field at Lorain High School.
Coach Kyle, who serves as a youth football ambassador for the Browns, is thankful for the Browns’ continued dedication to youth in Cleveland and the team’s efforts to help advance important phases of the game and participation at all levels of competition.
“The Browns are great to work with,” Kyle said. “The organization is earnestly interested in development of youth. The Browns believe that sports help kids, especially with the possibility of helping to motivate for the classroom. Cleveland is very fortunate for the way the Browns are the meeting their vocation with youth.”
“Highlighted by Dee and Jimmy Haslams’ commitment to providing fields for high schools in our region, our team consistently emphasizes the importance of participation in extracurricular activities like youth sports and their benefits to youth in and outside of the classroom, including improved school attendance,” Tekancic said.
More details related to tickets, parking and gameday information for the 2018 matchup will be available closer to the game here at ignatiuswildcats.com.