Hurricane Irma sends free football to Birmingham

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

BIRMINGHAM –Georgia Southern University officials were watching the projected paths of hurricane Irma and didn’t like what they were seeing. Only 80 miles inland from Georgia’s Atlantic coast, Statesboro could be in line for potentially catastrophic weather on Saturday when GSU is scheduled to play the University of New Hampshire at home.

While GSU officials were considering their options, UAB athletic director Mark Ingram and the City of Birmingham were putting together a solution.

An offer was made and GSU and UNH agreed to move their scheduled football game this Saturday to Birmingham’s Legion Field at 3 p.m. (CT) due to the threat of Hurricane Irma.

“When looking at the possibilities where we could try and play this football game, UAB and A.D. Mark Ingram reached out to us and offered us their facilities,” Georgia Southern Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein said. “After reviewing the updated forecast, we believe the best option for ensuring this game being played is to move to Birmingham. With the potential impact on the region and our campus, it was paramount to make a decision today so that we would not have to pull resources that may be used in an evacuation scenario.

“I want to thank Mark Ingram, the City of Birmingham and everyone involved in making this move possible. We couldn’t have made this possible without the flexibility of the University of New Hampshire and our staff.”

Admission for the game will be free.