FLORENCE, Ala. (September 28, 2023) – It is Homecoming Week at the University of North Alabama, as the Lions return to Braly Stadium for Saturday's main event against Eastern Kentucky University set to kickoff at 6 p.m. in Florence.
Saturday's game will be a "Gold Rush" theme, as fans are encouraged to wear gold to the game and visit the UNA Bookstore this week on campus or at the home side concourse Saturday while supplies last.
Below are the things to know for Saturday's Homecoming game against EKU.
1. KICKOFF: The Lions and Colonels will officially kickoff at 6:02 p.m. from Braly Stadium.
2. PRESENTING GAME SPONSOR: Saturday's presenting game sponsor is North Alabama Medical Center.
3. HOMECOMING CELEBRATION: UNA will celebrate its 74th Homecoming on Saturday. Since 1949, UNA has hosted an annual Homecoming game with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19. The Lions have an all-time record of 52-20-1 in Homecoming games, including wins in 16 of the last 17 since 2005.
4. ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD: For Saturday's "Gold Rush" at Braly Stadium, the first 500 fans will receive a free gold t-shirt and the first 2,500 fans will receive a gold shaker. Lion fans are encouraged to wear gold as they cheer on the Lions!
5. FRIDAY EVENTS: A number of Homecoming events take place the Friday before gameday, including the
Jack Karnes Memorial Golf Tournament at 9 a.m. at Cypress Lakes, the UNA Alumni Celebration at 6 p.m. inside the Marriott Shoals Conference Center and a pep rally at the Bill Jones Athletic Complex set for 9 p.m. Coach
Brent Dearmon and other will be on hand to pump up the crowd at the pep rally.
6. UNA ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME: The UNA Athletic Hall of Fame will induct the Class of 2023 on Saturday at 9 a.m. inside the Guillot University Center (GUC) Performance Hall on campus. The event is free of charge and open to the public. The UNA Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2023 includes former baseball player and football All-American Will Batson, All-American baseball pitcher Trey Mitchell, national championship volleyball coach Matt Peck, national soccer player of the year Chloe Roberts, a four-time volleyball conference champion Pasola Swoope Jackson and the Lions' all-time basketball assist leader, Luther Tiggs. For more info,
click here.
7. HOMECOMING PARADE: The annual Homecoming parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. in downtown Florence. Pine Street will close at 10 a.m. for the parade. This year's UNA Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) float is sponsored by Bojangles.
8. UNA ALUMNI BASEBALL GAME: The UNA Baseball program will hold its annual Homecoming alumni game Saturday afternoon at Mike Lane Field. The event will begin at 1 p.m. with a home run derby, followed by the alumni game immediately after.
9. TICKETS: Season tickets and single game tickets, as well as other bundle options, are available by calling 256-765-5466 (LION) or by emailing
athleticstickets@una.edu. Tickets to the game are available for as low as $20.
Click here for more info.
10. ACCESS YOUR TICKETS: The UNA Ticket Office put together three videos to help fans download and access their tickets this season. Click the links below to access tickets on your device or call 256-765-5466 for assistance.
WEBSITE |
ANDRIOD |
APPLE
11. CASHLESS VENUE: Much like this past basketball season at CB&S Bank Arena, Braly Stadium will be a cashless venue this season. Fans are encouraged to prepare accordingly to make purchases by card.
12. BAG POLICY: Fans are encouraged to review the bag policy before arriving to the stadium, as many bag types are prohibited inside Braly Stadium. Approved bags include clear totes, resealable freezer storage bags, small clutch bags, seat cushions with no pockets and small diaper bags with the accompaniment of a child. For more information on which types of bags are approved and which types are prohibited,
click here.
13. PROHIBITED ITEMS: Braly Stadium prohibits firearms of any kind, knives, umbrellas, artificial noise makers (electronic megaphones, blowhorns, airhorns, etc.), tobacco products (vape, cigarettes, cigars, etc.) and pets and animals of any kind. Service animals with proper identification are allowed.
14. PARKING: Lot D parking is available behind Florence Middle School and at the old baseball field at the corner of East Irvine Avenue and Grady Liles Road. Additional parking can be found at the Royal Avenue Center pool lot. The tennis court lot is reserved for a private event and unavailable for public parking. For an updated parking map for Saturday's game,
click here.
15. SHUTTLE BUS PARKING: UNA will have four parking lots available for fans to park and shuttle to the stadium — three of which are on UNA's campus. The shuttle lots include Jackson Heights Church of Christ, the front of Rice and Rivers Hall, Appleby Hall and the Wendall Gunn Commons parking lot. The shuttles run throughout the day, including before and after the game. For more information,
click here.
16. TAILGATING: A number of roads surrounding Braly Stadium will be closed in the morning for tailgating, specifically Royal Avenue. Fans are encouraged to plan accordingly. Parking lots open three hours prior to kickoff. Tailgating will take place on Spirit Hill presented by Bud Light and outside of Braly Stadium. Spirit Hill tailgating spots are sold out for Saturday's game, but fans are encouraged to join in on the festivities around the stadium.
17. FOOD TRUCKS: UNA Athletics will partner with a number of food trucks this season for all home football games. For this Saturday, fans can visit three different vendors along North Royal Avenue, including Fields Wings & Things, Happi Pappi, Quench and Smile Beverage Co. For a food truck map,
click here.
18. PEP RALLY: UNA will host a game day pep rally at 3:30 p.m. on Spirit Hill with the North Alabama Marching Pride, the UNA cheer and dance team and mascots, Leo and Una. This will take place just before the team arrives via buses for the Lion Walk — which take place two hours and 15 minutes before all home games.
19. LION WALK: One of UNA's oldest traditions, the Lion Walk will take place at 3:45 p.m. starting at Spirit Hill and ending when the team enters the stadium through the North End Zone — the side with the videoboard closest to the home locker rooms. Fans are encouraged to cheer on the Lions as they walk toward the stadium.
20. GAME PROGRAM: This season, game day programs will be shifting to an electronic format and are free of charge. QR codes will be available to fans throughout the stadium to download the program, which includes rosters, depth charts and more. Fans can also
access game programs at roarlions.com.
21. DOWNLOAD OUR APP: Fans are also encouraged to download the Roar Lions app, available on
Google Play and the
Apple App Store. The app was launched this past month and includes ticket information, team shop, game programs, schedules, rosters and links to watch and listen to the games online.
22. WATCH ON ESPN+: Saturday's game will stream on ESPN+ featuring "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray on play-by-play and Bryan Neece as the color analyst. Fans can tune in at 6 p.m.
at this link or on the ESPN app.
23. CATCH THE LIONS ON THE RADIO: Fans are encouraged to listen to the UNA Lions Sports Network all season long on WLX Radio — 98.3 FM and 103.5 FM in the Shoals or worldwide on the WLX App or
at this link. Play-by-play announcer Seth Cain will be joined by former UNA quarterback Jacob Tucker in the booth. Austin Collette will be on the sidelines. The UNA radio broadcast will begin at 5 p.m. with the "Countdown to Kickoff" featuring all three members of the broadcast team.
24. LIVE STATS: Fans who are interested in following live stats can do so via
StatBroadcast.
25. 75TH SEASON OF UNA FOOTBALL: The 2023 season marks the 75th year of North Alabama Football. UNA has an all-time record of 482-301-16, while boasting 21 NCAA playoff appearances, 17 conference championships and three national championships. This season marks UNA's sixth at the FCS level and just the second as a full-fledged member.
26. AN ODE TO THE PAST: Through two home games this season, UNA has paid tribute to its rich tradition with its uniforms. The Lions have worn all purple uniforms with a subtle gold and white trim, as well as purple helmets with white stars on them to represent a modern take on the 1993-95 national championship team uniforms.
27. A NEW ERA, A NEW CONFERENCE: The Lions are one of the charter members of the newly-formed United Athletic Conference (UAC) and are the first UAC team to ever compete in a football game representing the conference. The new league includes Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State and Utah Tech. Former Gulf South Conference rival West Georgia will join in 2024, while UTRGV will join in 2025.
28. SERIES HISTORY: The Lions have only played EKU one other time — a 56-53 thriller won by the Colonels in Richmond, Ky. UNA scored with 1:13 remaining to take a late lead, but EKU scored the ultimate go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds.
29. UNA VS. THE BLUEGRASS STATE: The Lions have only faced three teams from the state of Kentucky since 1949, including EKU, Kentucky Christian and Murray State. The Lions are 6-4 against the Bluegrass State with a 5-3 record against Murray State and a win over Kentucky Christian in 2012. Last year's meeting with EKU snapped a 10-year pause on UNA's battles with Kentucky teams.
30. UNA FOOTBALL HOUR ON TUESDAYS: The UNA Football Hour will not air this week due to the bye week, but fans are reminded to head over to 306 Barbecue in downtown Florence every Tuesday during football season game weeks for the UNA Football Hour with Coach
Brent Dearmon. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. and will air on WLX Radio (98.3/103.5 FM) and on the WLX app. The show will also air live at 306 BBQ hosted by Benjamin Ray and Mike Ezekiel.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
