Coyote Football 101 - Inside the Game Day Experience

(Story written by Director of Athletic Communications, Mike Safford, for the August edition of the Caldwell Perspective)

The College of Idaho football program will be celebrating their 75th year of intercollegiate competition this fall – with kickoff to the season opener less than a month away (Aug. 31 vs. Eastern Oregon). Let's take a look at the program and the Game Day experience at Simplot Stadium for longtime Coyote fans and for new fans alike.
 
HISTORY: For most, C of I football is a new thing, with head coach Mike Moroski returning the team to the gridiron in 2014 after a 37-year hiatus. However, the Coyotes initially began their program when the school was an academy in 1905, with the first intercollegiate games starting in 1919. The College won seven Northwest Conference titles from 1926-77 – including four consecutive championships from 1952-55 – and played in two bowl games, the 1948 Pear Bowl (a 27-20 win over Southern Oregon) and the 1953 Refrigerator Bowl (a 14-12 loss to Sam Houston State). Overall, the Coyote football team has a 286-285-28 all-time record.
 
THE 2019 SQUAD: Optimism is at an all-time high, as the Yotes ended the 2018 season on a 6-game win streak and finished the campaign ranked No. 22 in the NAIA. C of I returns all 11 offensive starters – including 4-year starting quarterback Darius-James Peterson and 4-year starter left tackle Josh Brown, both All-Frontier Conference selections. Defensively, the Yotes will have nine starters back from a unit that was among the tops in the league during the second half of 2018. In all, the roster is expected to have over 110 student-athletes.
 
THE CONFERENCE/SCHEDULE: The Coyotes are a member of the NAIA and play in the highly competitive Frontier Conference and will play a 10-game schedule in 2019. C of I will play five home games – vs. Eastern Oregon (Aug. 31), Homecoming vs. Southern Oregon (Sept. 14), vs. Montana Tech (Oct. 19), vs. Montana Western (Nov. 9) and vs. Montana State Northern (Nov. 16). All games (home and away) will feature Live Video, with links available at YoteAthletics.com – the online home of C of I athletics.
 
SIMPLOT STADIUM: All home games are played on Saturday afternoons at Simplot Stadium – with kickoff at 1 p.m. during August, September and October home dates, and noon for November home games. Gates to the stadium open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
 
TICKETS: Both single-game and season tickets are currently on sale for the 2019 season – with general admission single-game tickets starting at $13 and general admission season tickets just $50 (with discounts available for students and senior citizens). Tickets are available for purchase by contacting the C of I Ticket Office at (208) 459-5223 or by purchasing online. On the day of home games, the ticket booth will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
 
TAILGATING: All tailgate festivities are located in the main J.A. Albertson Activities Center parking lot on the C of I campus. Tailgate spots can be purchased for a single-game or for the entire season (call (208) 459-5223 or purchase online) – with the parking lot on game days opening five hours prior to kickoff and closing one hour after the game. Two traditions of the Tailgate Zone – the football team will greet fans on their walk to the stadium two hours prior to kickoff, while the C of I Coyote Marching Band will lead fans on a march to the stadium 30 minutes prior to kickoff. 
 
PARKING: Limited parking is available at Simplot Stadium for $5.00 – on a first-come, first-serve basis. Street parking is available, but spots in close proximity to the stadium fill up quickly.
 
CONCESSIONS / BEER GARDEN: C of I has partnered with local Service Clubs and the Caldwell Night Rodeo to provide outstanding concessions at all home football games. All concessions are housed in the adjacent Caldwell Night Rodeo grounds, as is the ever popular Beer Garden. Though alcoholic beverages are not permitting inside Simplot Stadium, end zone seating in the Beer Garden is available for those 21-years and older.
 
GET YOUR COYOTE GEAR: The C of I Student Store is open at Simplot Stadium for every home football game for fans wanting their latest Coyote apparel.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow the Yotes through traditional social media channels – on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the handle CoyoteAthletics.