LTU's home and away game day jerseys were unveiled to team members last week.
.LTU photo

Lawrence Technological University is a serious-minded educational institution, but its students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends also know how to have fun.

That sums up perfectly the activities surrounding the first college football game in Southfield history, coming up Saturday, Sept. 1, when football makes a return to Lawrence Tech after a 72-year absence.

First, there’s a good old-fashioned football tailgate party, starting at 9 a.m. in Parking Lots A and G (see www.ltu.edu/map). There will be live music, including performances by the newly expanded LTU Marching Band, and appearances by the LTU Dance Team and the university mascot, Blue. The city of Southfield and its Southfield City Centre organization – the downtown core of Southfield, of which LTU is a part – will also have a presence before the game.

“It will be a phenomenal experience for the fans, the students, and for the community,” said head football coach Jeff Duvendeck. “There is going to be a lot of energy and excitement on campus, and that is what fall is all about. For our players and our team, part of the reason they chose to be here was the support they felt from the university and the Southfield community.”

Also the morning of Sept. 1, LTU will conduct its Convocation ceremony, where it welcomes new students and their parents to campus. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at LTU’s Ridler Field House. It includes the presentation of LTU’s fifth Global Citizen Award to James Blanchard, former governor of Michigan, former U.S. Ambassador to Canada, and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kickoff of the football game is at 1 p.m. at the LTU Athletic Field along 10 Mile Road, just west of Evergreen Road. LTU President Emeritus Richard Marburger and LTU President Virinder Moudgil will participate in the coin toss. LTU head football coach Jeff Duvendeck’s Blue Devils will take on Oakland University’s club football team, which won the national college club football championship in 2016.

Tickets to the game are $12. Parking in the tailgate lots is $10. Free parking is also available on other university lots. Fans can bring only bottled water into the game; clear bags are also required. Concessions will be available, featuring Dearborn Sausage Co. products.

For those unable to attend, the game will be streamed live on the LTU athletics website, www.ltuathletics.com.

The university is also beefing up the media presence of its athletic programs. Starting Monday, Sept. 3 at 4:30 p.m. on the Fox Sports Detroit TV network will be the LTU Sports Report, highlighting all of the Blue Devils’ varsity athletic programs. And starting Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. is the LTU Coaches’ Show podcast, recorded at Shield’s Restaurant, 25101 Telegraph Road, Southfield. The podcast will be streamed live on the LTU Athletics YouTube page, and episodes will be posted on the LTU Athletics YouTube and Facebook pages for later viewing.