PISCATAWAY, N.J. (November 5, 2009) – Rutgers and Army will compete in the first college football game between Football Bowl Subdivision members at the New Meadowlands Stadium, Rutgers Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tim Pernetti and New Meadowlands Stadium Company President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Lamping announced today.
The Scarlet Knights will meet the Black Knights on October 16, 2010 for what will be the 37th matchup between the teams and their 10th game in the Meadowlands.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Rutgers and we are thankful to our friends at the New Meadowlands Stadium Corporation, along with the Jets and Giants for their partnership," said Pernetti. “We have witnessed first-hand the construction of the New Meadowlands Stadium and we are looking forward to competing during the inaugural season at the state-of-the-art facility."
Rutgers has played more games at the Meadowlands than any other collegiate team. The Scarlet Knights are 20-28 all-time at the Meadowlands, and played their entire 1993 home schedule in East Rutherford as Rutgers Stadium was being renovated.
“The Meadowlands and Rutgers have enjoyed a long history, and we are pleased to continue with the tradition,” said Lamping. “The New Meadowlands Stadium was designed to offer fans the ultimate football experience, and we look forward to providing fans of Rutgers and college football with an unforgettable game day.”
Rutgers defeated Columbia 47-0 on Oct. 23, 1976 in the first collegiate football game played at Giants Stadium. The Scarlet Knights also defeated Colgate in the stadium’s opening year in 1976 to finish a perfect 11-0 on the season.
The Scarlet Knights last played at the Meadowlands on Oct. 12, 1996 vs. Army. Rutgers and Army have met nine times in East Rutherford, the most games vs. any opponent for the Scarlet Knights. In total, Rutgers has played 17 different opponents at the Meadowlands.
Upon completion, New Meadowlands Stadium will seat 82,500 fans, including 9,500 club seats and 222 luxury suites. It will be the third-largest stadium in the National Football League.
Inside the stadium, four 40-by-130-foot HD video replay boards will hang from each corner of the upper deck. Outside the stadium, fans will be treated to a 350,000-square-foot outdoor plaza filled with fan-centric activities and pregame entertainment zones. A signature amenity of the stadium will be the brand new rail line that will drop off passengers less than 100 feet from the stadium — the total trip from New York's Penn Station will take less than 20 minutes.
The new stadium will have wider concourses and more HD square footage than any other stadium in North America.
Ticket on-sale information will be released soon.
Rutgers-Army Series at the Meadowlands (Rutgers leads 7-2)
Nov. 10, 1979 Rutgers 20, Army 0
Oct. 9, 1982 Rutgers 24, Army 3
Oct. 13, 1984 Rutgers 14, Army 7
Oct. 25, 1986 Rutgers 35, Army 7
Oct. 22, 1988 Army 34, Rutgers 24
Oct. 5, 1991 Rutgers 14, Army 12
Oct. 17, 1992 Rutgers 45, Army 10
Oct. 8, 1994 Rutgers 16, Army 14
Oct. 12, 1996 Army 42, Rutgers 21
