BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Representatives from Morgan State University and Towson University held a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Glory Day's Grill Restaurant to talk about the Second Annual Battle for Greater Baltimore football game that will resume Sept. 1 at Hughes Stadium.
Morgan State's Director of Athletics, Edward Scott and interim head football coach, Ernest T. Jones sat with Towson AD, Tim Leonard and head football coach, Rob Ambrose for the Battle for Greater Baltimore press conference.
Towson's Athletic Director, Tim Leonard and head football coach, Rob Ambrose sat with Morgan State AD, Edward Scott and interim head football coach, Ernest T. Jones for the Battle for Greater Baltimore press conference.
Scott spoke about the importance of the game to both schools.
"First of all I want to give credit to Tim [Leonard]. It was a joint effort. The game itself was going to be played, but we wanted to figure out how we could do something for the city of Baltimore," said Scott. "When we started last year I think a lot of folks don't realize that we meet during the year. Our two staffs actually get together. This year they came to us. We spent about two hours together, had lunch and went through all the details. It's much different than a normal game.
"The second piece is the community service component. To be able to tie together two initiatives that mean so much to both programs is going to do a great deal for Baltimore, but most importantly, it will show our student-athletes how they're looked at as role models, and that's something that Tim and I talked about when we wanted to design this whole Battle for Greater Baltimore from the beginning."
"This is a statement game," said Jones when asked about the impact of the game on recruiting and marketing. "It's a game where both universities and administrations are saying 'This is your game'. It's important that we give a game back to the city; that we give a game back to the community. When you're talking about recruiting, everybody can't go to Alabama. Everybody can't go to Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech. But you can go to Towson. You can go to Morgan.
"It's a big deal and a big stage. We know that once a year, you'll get on a big stage and have a chance to play in front of the city of Baltimore—in fact, the state if we blow it up to the point that everybody will want to come to this football game. If you don't go to a major division I school, you'll go to Towson or Morgan—that's what this game is."
This year's Battle for Greater Baltimore will feature an array of scheduled and planned events including a combined community service event with the YMCA of Central Maryland and Special Olympics Maryland on Saturday at 3 p.m. The YMCA is on 33rd Street in Baltimore.
Additionally, on gameday there will be an Alumni Happy Hour/Mixer and a live WEAA 88.9 FM Radio Show Remote at 16 On the Park, and Towson Alumni Tailgate at Morgan State.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the teams will not play in 2019. However, they are scheduled to play in 2020 (at Towson) and 2021 (at Morgan State). During the press conference, both ADs noted that they are working out the details of extending the series for the future.
Saturday, September 1, will mark the 25th meeting in the series between the two university football programs that began with a 34-7 Morgan State win on September 1, 1979, at Towson. The Tigers hold an 18-6 advantage in the all-time series and will be playing at Hughes Stadium for the first time since outlasting the Bears, 28-21, on September 8, 2007.
The game will be broadcast by WEAA 88.9FM and televised locally and regionally (check your local listings).
Morgan State's last win against Towson was on August 30, 2003 when the Bears pulled off a 19-16 victory at Hughes Stadium.
Morgan State opened the 2017 season with a 10-0 loss against Towson in the inaugural Battle for Greater Baltimore at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. It marked the first matchup between the teams in six years. Morgan State and Towson played nearly every season from 1979 through 2011, and were excited to see this historical series return.
The game will also feature the world famous Morgan State University Magnificent Marching Machine and Towson University Marching Band.
For ticket information click here.
Fans can keep up-to-date with all MSU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/MorganStBears and @MSUBearFootball. You can also become a fan of the Bears on Facebook at Facebook.com/MorganStateBears.
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
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