The St. Thomas and St. John’s football rivalry will enter a new phase next year as the Minnesota Twins and the university announced today that annual Tommie-Johnnie clash will be hosted at Target Field in the fall of 2017.
The two schools play one of college football’s most storied rivalries; next year’s game is Sept. 23.
“We’re confident that this will be a great football venue not just for fans but for players and coaches,” Twins President Dave St. Peter said.
Both coaches address the media at a Target Field press conference, and St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso said his players are looking forward to the game.
“They’re excited, to say the least,” Caruso said. “But at the end of the day … there’s 11 months of preparation.”
Wide receiver Tanner Bedard is thrilled to be a part of the historic event in what will be his senior season.
“It’s a great opportunity to experience something that has never been done before. Even though we aren’t playing on our turf, we will still get the opportunity to play how we have been taught by past alumni and honor them in such a way,” Bedard said.
Bedard said that it will be an experience he will carry with him forever, “not just the fact that Tommie-Johnnie is being played at Target Field but the history of the matchup itself.”
A bigger venue means a bigger crowd, according to linebacker Adam Brant. “I think the crowd size definitely has a chance to be bigger than the other games, but it won’t affect how we play as a team,” Brant said.
Defensive linebacker Peter Redmond said the crowd and venue size “will get the players even more pumped to play.”
Wide receiver Tanner Vik believes the large venue will encourage more people to come and see one of the best rivalries in college football. “I like the huge venue. It adds more meaning and when you come out for that first quarter, you really see how big and meaningful this game is to both schools,” Vik said.
St. John’s head coach Gary Fasching said, “(It) takes this game to a bigger level than what we’ve experienced in the last 10 years.”
The players are unanimously intrigued by how the baseball diamond will transition into a football field.
“I’ve never played football on a baseball field and I don’t really know what to expect, but I bet it will affect how the game goes playing on a field neither teams have before,” Redmond said.
The Tommies showcase an undefeated (6-0, 4-0 MIAC) record coming off of its bye week and are scheduled to play Hamline this Saturday at home.
The fourth-ranked St. Thomas football team has handed St. John’s its one and only loss on the season September 24 at Clemens Stadium in front of more than 16,500 fans.
The Johnnies lead the all-time series with a 51-34-1 record, but the Tommies have reigned victorious the last three matchups and look to continue their winning streak at Target Field.
Student tickets, which will be $10, will go on sale Dec. 6. Tickets for the general public, which cost between $15 and $30, will go on sale Dec. 13.
St. Thomas will be the host school. The two teams played on a neutral site in the old Metrodome in 1996 and 1997.
“It certainly doesn’t change how you prepare,” Caruso said. “It would be ignorant to say it doesn’t change how you feel when you come out of the dugout and there’s however many thousand (fans) … It’s not gonna change how we look at our season or prepare for what we expect to be a great football team.”
This will be the first ever football game hosted at Target Field.
