{boxer football}

With Pacific’s first home game in the non-conference opener against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps kicking off at 1:30 pm on Saturday, September 18 in Lincoln Park Stadium, the Boxers face a tough lineup this season in the Northwest Conference with opponents such as Linfield, Willamette, Lewis & Clark, and the San Francisco Bay Area’s Menlo College.

As a former member of UC Davis and Stanford coaching staffs, new head coach Keith Buckley is at the hub of the Boxers’ revitalized football program. Several factors played a role in the return of football to this Division III University, including an enrollment initiative.

“The goal for this first year was to attract 57 new additional students,” according to director of athletics, Ken Schumann. “Recruiters have been blown away with the 120 commitments we’ve received making this year’s freshman classes one of the largest we’ve ever seen.”

Not only has the return of football impacted enrollment numbers, but sports information director, Blake Timm, says ticket sales for the 500 reserved seats are nearly sold out for the season. With added temporary seating at Lincoln Park Stadium, game days will see upwards of 2,000 fans in the grandstands.

To promote a game-day atmosphere, the Forest Grove Chamber of Commerce is working closely with the university to transform the City of Forest Grove’s College Way into a tailgater party paradise with a street festival starting at 10:00 am before each Saturday afternoon home game.
This enchanting--yet quirky--town, located just forty-five minutes from downtown Portland, has plenty to offer football fans in the way of shopping, dining, and wine-tasting in the Northern Willamette Valley.

Recently named one of Budget Travel’s eight “perfect summer lake towns,” Forest Grove is situated only nine miles from the 1,100-acre Henry Hagg Lake, where Boxer alums, students, and visiting families can enjoy a day of boating, fishing, biking, or hiking … decked out in their red, black, and white, of course!

For more ticket information and the 2010-2011 game schedule, visit www.goboxers.com. GO BOXERS!