MAINE BLACK BEARS PLAY HOST TO UNH WILDCATS IN HISTORICAL, 100TH FOOTBALL MATCH UP ON OCTOBER 20

ORONO, Maine (Oct. 19, 2012) – It’s one for the history books on Saturday, Oct. 20 as football fans and alumni of the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire will witness a century old meeting between the Black Bears and the Wildcats.

The teams kick off an historical match up at noon ET at Alfond Stadium in Orono to battle it out for the musket, in what will mark their 100th football game – the annual “Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket”.  Both University athletic departments outsource their comprehensive multimedia rights to Learfield Sports, a collegiate multimedia rights leader for 40 years.  Black Bear Sports Properties and Wildcat Sports Properties are Learfield Sports’ properties and local entities at Maine and UNH, respectively.

Both schools are football members in the Colonial Athletic Association, and Maine Head Coach Jack Cosgrove and UNH Head Coach Sean McDonnell have competed against each other for the musket’s bragging rights since the 1970s as players and more than 10 years as coaches.

“No doubt this is a milestone for both football programs, and we’re extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with both athletic departments,” said Learfield Sports’ Vice President Kelly Jensen.  “We’re proud to have the opportunity to represent Maine and New Hampshire year round.  The upcoming game is a monumental occasion, and it should be celebrated.”

In addition to Maine and UNH, Learfield Sports manages multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations and titles the acclaimed Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup.  Also, the company’s exclusive sports programming reaches more than 50 million television households nationally and delivers nearly 17,000 hours of radio programming on more than 1,000 radio stations.  For more information about Learfield Sports’ 40-year history and complete collegiate portfolio, visit www.learfieldsports.com.