Press Release
Cortaca Jug to be played in Yankee Stadium
NEW YORK (September 21st, 2021) – 5167 Sports Media, LLC announced today that it will promote the 2022 Cortaca Jug game between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland in Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees. This will be the 63rd annual game between the two Upstate New York schools, with Ithaca acting as the host school. The game will be held on November 12, 2022, and the kickoff will be at 1pm.
Ithaca and Cortland will each be issued tickets in the fall of 2022 for sale to their students, faculty, and staff at a price of $24.50. Tickets will go on sale for the general public this fall, on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, with most seats priced from $24.50 to $69.50. Those tickets will be sold by online at Ticketmaster.com, www.cortacajug.com and www.alumni.ithaca.edu/Cortaca22. All tickets will be delivered digitally, and mobile presentation will be the sole method of entry.
While the stadium is best known as the home of baseball’s Bronx Bombers, it has also seen its share of memorable football games and currently hosts the annual New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
According to Mark Holtzman, vice president of non-baseball events for the Yankees, it was observing the success of the 2019 Cortaca Jug that inspired the organization to extend the invitation to the two schools. “We are looking forward to rolling out the pinstripe carpet and welcoming Ithaca and Cortland to the Yankee Stadium lineup,” said Holtzman. “We think that we have the opportunity to break the attendance record once again, and we are intent on creating a memorable experience for the teams and for their fans.”
The last Cortaca Jug was held at MetLife stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 2019, as part of the 150 Anniversary Celebration of College Football and was sponsored by the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame and set an NCAA Division III single game attendance record of 45,161 In that matchup, the Ithaca Bombers beat the Cortland Red Dragons 32-20 and now lead the Cortaca Jug series 37-24. No game was played in 2020 due to COVID-19.
The rivalry originated in 1959, when friends and respective team captains Tom Decker of Cortland and Dick Carmean of Ithaca picked up a jug at a yard sale to serve as the prize for the winner of the annual game between the schools. Each year’s result is painted on the Jug — the original one ran out of room for scores in the mid-1980s, and the teams are now on their third Jug.
5167 Sports Media was founded by Ithaca College Alums Marc Hudak ’90 and Bob Garone ’87 to promote and support the Cortaca Jug football games at MetLife Stadium in 2019 and at Yankee Stadium in 2022. “Bobby and I are happy to promote and support the 2022 Cortaca Jug Game at Yankee Stadium. It will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us to see this great rivalry game played at Yankee Stadium.” said Hudak.
On October 2, 2021, Ithaca College will present Marc with the Edgar “Dusty” Bredbenner Jr. ’50 Distinguished Alumni Award, its highest honor for his commitment and loyalty to Ithaca College. Marc was a two-time All-America selection at center for the Bombers and was a captain of the 1988 National Championship Team. He was inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. He is currently Chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame and President of the Football Club at the New York Athletic Club where he also serves on the William V. Campbell Trophy Committee.
For Bobby and his wife Laurie, being a Bomber is all in the family, as all three children; Bobby Jr. ’15, Carly ’16, and Nicholas ’20 are Ithaca College graduates. Daughter Carly was a three- time letter winner on the women’s volleyball team, son Bobby Jr. was an all-conference center for the Bombers making the NCAA playoffs in 2013 and 2014, youngest son Nicholas was a team captain and All-America selection on the 2019 Ithaca College football team that beat Cortland in the 2019 Cortaca Jug game at MetLife Stadium. Bobby Sr. was a three-year starter for the Bombers at Guard and Center from 1984 to 1986, a span that saw the Bombers go 33-4 finishing as national runner-up in 1984 and national semifinalist in 1986, Bobby was ECAC Rookie of the Year in 1984 and a two-time ECAC first team selection in 1985 and 1986. He also earned All-America honors in ’86 and will be inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame on October 2, 2021.
Alumni Weekend in NYC
And while the Cortaca Jug will be a centerpiece of Ithaca College’s Alumni Homecoming Weekend, it will by no means be the only game in town, with the annual Alumni Awards Celebration, Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and dinners and receptions for celebrated class years among the events being planned.
“We are pleased to announce that the Marriot Maquis, in the heart of Times Square, will serve as the exclusive host hotel for the weekend, with special rates for our alumni,” said Wendy Kobler, Ithaca College’s vice president for philanthropy and engagement. “We anticipate attracting our substantial alumni population in the metro area, bringing IC grads from near and far together and connecting them with current students for a full slate of activities in the city that never sleeps. Stay tuned for more details over the coming months.”
For more information and regular updates on the 2022 Cortaca Jug and Ithaca College Alumni Homecoming Weekend, visit www.alumni.ithaca.edu/Cortaca22