FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 29, 2013
Contact: Al Botta
T: 516/967-8993
E: al@collegefootballquest.com

A QUEST AND AN OBSESSION: TWO FRIENDS HIT THE ROAD FOR AUTZEN STADIUM
Trip Is Part of Their Mission to See a Game at Every College Football Stadium in the Country

Since 2008, Jarrett Singer and Al Botta have been on a rather unusual quest: to watch a college football game in every Division I-A football stadium in the country. They’ve started the website CollegeFootballQuest.com to keep fans updated on their progress, and this year one of their stops will be Autzen Stadium, to watch the preseason #3 rated Oregon Ducks host California in one of the loudest, best known stadium experiences out there. “We’ve wanted to get out west to Oregon and Autzen Stadium for several years now and the schedule just never worked out,” Jarrett mentions. “With a new coach, many returning players, and a high pre-season rating, there’s even more reason for this team to shine and for fans to get excited. Plus, we are very excited to see the absolutely awe inspiring new facilities that have just been unveiled.”

Though their quest didn’t officially get underway until a few years ago, Singer says the seed of the idea was planted even earlier, in his senior year at the University of Florida when he enrolled in a course called Coaching Football. “It was not the easy ‘A’ that it sounds like,” Singer says. “You had to do a lot of work building a playbook and scouting an opponent. I learned a lot and as a result my ideal seat in the stadium is the first row of the upper deck in the middle of the end zone, where I can better see critical plays develop.”

Since then, they’ve had an opportunity to see a lot of those critical plays develop. In the first year of their quest, at a game in DeKalb, Illinois, between the Central Michigan Chippewa’s and the Northern Illinois Huskies, Singer and Botta watched as Northern Illinois battled back from a twenty-four point deficit to force overtime, only to throw an interception and lose. “Exciting games like that keep us going on the Quest, regardless of school size or ranking,” Botta says.

“I expect to see a great game this year as Oregon is the Pac-12 favorite, and highly ranked nationally. New coach Mark Helfrich has a lot to prove, but does have a good returning class to start with,” Botta says. “I’m also kind of excited to see what the uniforms will look like cause it always seems like they are up to something at Oregon.”

And even their sports experiences are not always limited to college football. Jarrett and Al expect to fully tour the campus, stadium, and facilities, documenting as they go on their website, www.collegefootballquest.com. Jarrett mentions, “We have gotten better at documenting our trips over the years. That will be very important when we are still doing this in our 70’s and have trouble remembering those earlier trips. Therefore, it is important that we document the entire experience and not just the game and stadium.” Al adds, “The game, the food, the bars, the history; everything. I’m looking forward to seeing Pre’s Trail, and getting to 13th & Kincaid or the Barmuda Triangle, if that is what it is still called, and see if the reputation of this college town lives up the hype!”

The Quest has given them an opportunity see a lot of things about America’s college towns they might have otherwise missed. They cite touring West Point, being in Austin, Texas, on game day, and tailgating with Hawkeye fans in Iowa City as just some of the highlights of their journey thus far. “We definitely have a lot of fun, and fortunately, our families are big supporters of our Quest,” says Jarrett.

Both Botta and Singer are members of the Football Writers Association of America.

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If you’d like more information about College Football Quest, or to schedule an interview with Jarrett Singer or Al Botta, please call Al at 516/967-8993 or email Al at al@collegefootballquest.com

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