Wildcat Way will be open on Sheffield Avenue between Addison Street and Waveland Avenue from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20. Admittance is free to the general public.
Fans in Wildcat Way can cheer on the Northwestern Wildcats football team as they arrive from Evanston at approximately 11:45 a.m. The team will take the El from Evanston, then walk down Addison and through Wildcat Way into the right field corner of Wrigley Field.
College football games will air on a large LED screen and numerous flat-screen TVs starting at 11 a.m. and continuing throughout the evening. The 9’x12′ LED screen will serve as the backdrop on the Bud Light Music Stage near Waveland Avenue, which will feature four live music acts before and after the game. A large heated tent will cover the south side of Wildcat Way, featuring Northwestern face painters, several bars and seating tables, and 10 large plasma televisions. Ballhawks can even catch field goals and extra-point attempts that leave Wrigley Field during the game.
The Allstate Tailgate Tour will also be on site for fans, which includes the Allstate College Football Legacy Museum, the Allstate Fan Club where fans can create personal signs, a Plinko-type board for prizes and a green screen photo area where fans can take pictures that are retrievable online after the game. In addition, former Northwestern star running back Damien Andersonwill host an interactive Q-and-A session with fans and sign autographs from 1 to 2 p.m. Finally, a football toss challenge and bags game will be present for fans of all ages.
Levy Restaurants will provide food, beverage and merchandise concessions throughout the day. Ravenswood Event Services was hired to organize the safety, logistics and activities of Wildcat Way.
“Wildcat Way is a great way for all football fans to experience and be part of a historic game at Wrigley Field,” said Wally Hayward, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the Chicago Cubs. “Whether fans have a ticket to the actual game or not, this will be the ideal location to catch college football games throughout the day.”
The Allstate Wrigleyville Classic, pitting Northwestern University against the University of Illinois, kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CST.
ESPN College GameDay Airing Live From Wrigley Field Saturday
EVANSTON, Ill. — ESPN College GameDay will be coming to our city this Saturday morning, broadcasting live from outside Wrigley Field prior to the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic. The crew will be set up on the corner of Addison and Clark, with the iconic Wrigley Field marquee, which has been painted purple, serving as the backdrop.
The popular ESPN college football preview show, sponsored by the Home Depot, begins broadcasting at 8 a.m. CT on ESPNU Saturday morning, with Erin Andrews serving as the show’s host. At 9 a.m. CT, the broadcast moves over to ESPN hosted by Kirk Fowler. Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard serve as analysts, breaking down the day’s biggest college football games around the country. The show concludes with the hosts making their predictions, with Corso typically donning the mascot’s headgear of of his pick for GameDay’s featured game.
Part of what adds to GameDay‘s popularity is the atmosphere generated by fans serving as a backdrop to the show’s festivites. The show is open to the public as fans are encouraged to participate by showing their school spirit and displaying creative signs.
Since 1993, College GameDay has taken its show on the road, traveling to the site of a different college football game each week. Saturday marks the second time Northwestern will serve as the host for College GameDay, the first coming on Nov. 11, 1995, when the then-fifth-ranked Wildcats hosted Iowa en route to the 1995 Big Ten Championship.
The show this Saturday from Wrigley Field will definitely have a Big Ten feel to it. In addition to the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic between Northwestern and Illinois, the show’s three analysts all have Big Ten connections. Corso is a former head coach at Indiana, Herbstreit is a former Ohio State quarterback and Howard won the Heisman Trophy while playing at Michigan.
Illinois (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) at Northwestern (7-3, 3-3 Big Ten)
2:35 p.m. CT • Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010
Wrigley Field (39,800) • Chicago, Ill.
Television: ESPNU
Radio: WGN (720 AM), WNUR (89.3 FM), Sirius (Ch. 121), XM Satellite (Ch. 141)
Internet: ESPN3.com, wgnradio.com, wnur.org
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Ticket Information: The Allstate Wrigleyville Classic is sold out
Source: www.NUsports.com