The Great American Conference is still relatively new to NCAA Division II, but the 11-team league based in Russellville is already trying to make its mark.
A bid submitted to the NCAA by the GAC and the Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau was among three finalists announced Wednesday that are under consideration to host the Division II football championship game starting in 2014.
GAC Commissioner Will Prewitt said the bid is to host the game in 2014-2016. The final decision will be made by the NCAA championship committee Dec. 11.
Prewitt said the idea to pair with Bentonville and bid for Division II’s most high-profile event came before the league even held its first competition in 2011. The GAC - which includes six Arkansas schools - announced earlier this month the creation of the Live United Texarkana Bowl, which will be played Dec. 7 and will be the third postseason bowl game in Division II.
“We’re really committed to trying to be a player within the division and be involved in Division II,” he said. “Any time you have an opportunity to bring events into your footprint, it’s great economically, for our institutions and the GAC as a whole. It just indicates that we really do want to find our place within the division and be as active as we possibly can.”
If awarded, the game would be played at Bentonville High School’s Tiger Stadium, a 6,500-seat facility that Prewitt said could seat up to 12,000 if needed.
The other two sites under consideration are Florence, Ala., and Kansas City, Kan.
North Alabama is a member of the Gulf South Conference - the league where the six Arkansas schools in the GAC previously competed - and has hosted the Division II title game since 1986 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence.
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s bid would put the game at Sporting Stadium, which opened in 2011 and houses Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City. It can hold up to 25,000.
Prewitt called Tiger Stadium a “Division I stadium that just happens to hold a high school team.” He said the stadium could easily host a game that drew 7,527 last year to see Valdosta State beat Winston-Salem State 35-7.
“You don’t want to find a venue that’s too big and swallows your event,” Prewitt said. “All the way around, Bentonville is the right size facility and community. … It would be a big deal for the event to come here. I think Northwest Arkansas fits the bill precisely.”
Finalists were selected by the Division II football committee, and championship sites for all sports will be chosen by the Division II championship committee. Arkansas Tech Athletic Director Steve Mullins serves on the Division II football committee, and Ouachita Baptist Athletic Director David Sharp serves on the Division II championship committee.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Prewitt said. “We feel good about our chances and are hoping for an early Christmas present.”
Sports, Pages 17 on 10/31/2013