Official Website of the Eastern College Athletic Conference

2016 #ECACD3FBFEST to be Held at Historic Franklin Field

6/23/2016 9:15:00 AM

   
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced today historic Franklin Field as the site of the 2016 #ECACD3FBFEST, marking the second year in a row the Conference will hold its Division III Football Bowl Championships at a neutral site.
 
The event, which will be held Nov. 18-20 on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, will feature 12 teams competing in six bowl games across three days in what is becoming one of the Conference’s marquee championship events. Games are tentatively scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 19 at noon and 5 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 20 at noon and 5 p.m.
 
“The ECAC moved our Division III football bowl games to a neutral site in 2015 in an effort to enhance the postseason experience offered to our student-athletes, and in that regard, last year’s event was a resounding success,” said ECAC Associate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer John Rollins. “We are excited to partner with Penn Athletics to bring this year’s DIII Football Fest to historic Franklin Field, and look forward to creating the memorable championship experience our student-athletes deserve. Moreover, we are eager to work with our membership to ensure that cost of participation will not be a prohibitive factor.
 
“We are thrilled to host the 2016 ECAC Division III Football Bowl Championships at Franklin Field in November,” said Dr. M. Grace Calhoun, University of Pennsylvania’s Director of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics. “As a long-time ECAC member, we are happy to further support the ECAC and collaborate with its college football community to make this a special experience for the student-athletes, coaches, parents and fans. Franklin Field is the nation’s oldest collegiate football stadium, and we look forward to hosting 12 teams over three days as they add their own indelible chapter to the stadium’s storied history.”
 
The ECAC will also resume its partnership with Pack Network, which will broadcast all six games live.
 
“We are thrilled to partner with Pack Network once again and look forward to welcoming Seth Cantor and Emory Hunt back into the broadcast booth for DIII Football Fest,” said Meghan O’Brien, director of marketing & communications. “Like the ECAC, Pack Network is driven by a commitment to excellence and quality, and we are confident that this continuing partnership will allow us to offer fans the highest-quality broadcast possible.
 
Further details regarding host hotels, sponsors and other news will be forthcoming.
 
The University of Pennsylvania's historic football stadium has hosted the best in collegiate and professional competition for most of the century. Originally opened in 1895 for the first running of the Penn Relays, the stadium was rebuilt in 1922 in its present form. Franklin Field, deemed by the NCAA as the oldest stadium still operating for football games, has been the site of the nation's first scoreboard (1895), the nation's first two-tiered stadium (1922), the first football radio broadcast (WIP, 1922), the first football telecast (PhilCo, 1939) and Vince Lombardi's only NFL playoff loss (1960).