The University of St. Thomas has announced that Twin Cities-based Oppidan Investment Company will be the presenting sponsor for its Oct. 19 home football game at St. Paul's Allianz Field featuring the Tommies and the Johnnies from archrival St. John's University.

Oppidan is a national property development firm offering a full range of real estate services, including asset management, brokerage services, construction management and project management.

"The Oppidan team is elated to once again be part of one of Division III's biggest rivalry games between St. Thomas and St. John's," said Joe Ryan, Oppidan's Chief Executive Officer. "Our team members include alums of both schools, and Oppidan's commitment to the communities we work in makes this a natural fit for us. We were proud to sign on for the 2017 Tommie-Johnnie game at Target Field, and that was such a terrific game and atmosphere. We're excited to continue this partnership."

Phil Esten, St. Thomas Vice-President and Director of Athletics, said that Oppidan's involvement adds prestige to what's already a much anticipated contest set for Oct. 19.

"We thank Oppidan for its support of this historic rivalry," Esten said. "Oppidan's support elevates the visibility and exposure of this game, as players, alumni and fans of both teams enjoyed the unique opportunity we had with our 2017 game at Target Field, and we expect the Allianz Field game to provide another fun, exciting atmosphere."

About Oppidan

Builder of towns. Creator of value. Since 1991, Oppidan Investment Company has been a leader in philanthropic support within the communities it invests. Oppidan provides development, construction and project management, asset management, and brokerage services to the retail, senior housing, industrial, commercial, residential and mixed-use markets.

The team's 450 projects span 15.8 million-square feet in 35 states and Canada with a total value of more than $3.0 billion. Oppidan's impressive client list includes Duluth Trading Company, Ebenezer, Northern Tool + Equipment, Camping World, Cub Foods, Sprouts, GE Oil & Gas, Orchard Supply Hardware, and more. To learn more about Oppidan, visit www.oppidan.com. 

New Venue

Allianz Field, which opened in spring 2019, is home to Major Soccer League's Minnesota United. This will be the first American football game played on the natural grass field at Allianz.

Tickets for the Oct. 19 game went on sale in January 2019. Virtually all of the 19,400 seats have already been sold. A set number of tickets on each campus were saved for students, and those will go sale early this fall in Collegeville and at St. Thomas.

This event will also showcase one of the top rivalries and top trophy games in Division III football. The October 19 clash, with the Holy Grail Trophy at stake, will be the 89th meeting in a series that began in 1901 with a Thanksgiving Day game held at St. Paul's old Lexington Park, which was located a few blocks east of the Allianz site.

St. Thomas and St. John's played periodically in football from 1901-1950 but have faced off every season since 1952.

The Tommie-Johnnie football rivalry has featured at least one Division III top-10 ranked team in 13 of the past 14 season.

Both football programs come into the 2019 preseason listed in the top 10 nationally in all four Division III polls.

Game Info

• Visit seatgeek.com for all event ticket purchases.
• All tickets will be sent electronically, and you will be asked to present them digitally on game day.

• No passes (MIAC, MSHSL, St. Thomas) or St. Thomas/St. John's/St. Ben's IDs will be honored. Everyone attending will need a ticket.
• Students intending to sit in the designated student section will be able to purchase discounted tickets on campus starting this fall. Students will receive additional information via email.
• Alcohol will not be sold inside the stadium.

Seatgeek.com also serves as a secondary ticket market platform, also known as the resale market —a ticket market that exists between fans, brokers, etc. of event tickets after they have been purchased from the primary ticket market. Don't be surprised when you see secondary tickets for sale at premium price.