Pigskin Classic Going to Michigan for ’95

The Pigskin Classic, played in Anaheim Stadium the last five years before Disneyland dropped its $1 million-a-year sponsorship, will be played Aug. 26 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor with the Wolverines as one of the teams.

Michigan’s opponent has not been selected. “We feel that an on-campus site will bring the pageantry normally associated with a collegiate football game, and what better venue to host it than the largest college-owned stadium in the United States,” said Mike Cleary, executive director of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, a game sponsor.

The Wolverines regularly play in front of 100,000-plus crowds in the 102,501-seat stadium.

No decision has been made about where the game will be played in 1996. “The decision was based only on this year,” said Laurie Garrison, public relations director for the athletic directors group. “It’s a one-year contract with Michigan. Whether it will be there in the future hasn’t been determined.”

The Pigskin Classic was troubled by lagging attendance when it was played in Anaheim. The final game at Anaheim Stadium, featuring Ohio State and Fresno State in August, drew 28,513, the lowest attendance in the five years.

The event had some attractive matchups during its run in Orange County, but the top crowd was 49,309 in 1993 for the USC-North Carolina game. The next largest was 38,363 for Florida State-Brigham Young in 1991.