Bragging Rights on the Line with Dearborn High, Fordson Alumni Football Game

Dearborn High School and Fordson will meet on the gridiron this September, but it won’t be for a varsity football contest.

Instead, graduates of the schools will get a chance to play for bragging rights in the inaugural Dearborn versus Fordson Alumni Football Game.

The game is scheduled for Sept. 28 at DHS, and will feature alumni from both schools' graduating classes over the past 20 years.

"The rivalry between Dearborn and Fordson is intense, especially with the Class of 2011 and Class of 2012," said Albert Ettedgui, special events coordinator for Alumni Football USA. "Fordson wants to get back out there and reclaim the win they feel that they deserve."

Ettedgui said the game will be full contact with pads.

Interest from both schools has grown exponentially since Alumni Football USA first announced the game in mid-May.

"Fordson already has 37 players signed up, and Dearborn has about 17. We are looking for at least 40 players for each team," Ettedgui said.

The cost to play is $100, which includes a T-shirt and game DVD. Players can sign up online at http://www.alumnifootballusa.com/.

Ettedgui said as of July 1, the oldest player on the Fordson team is from the graduating class of 1994, while both teams also have players from the class of 2013.

"In some games that we've hosted in the past, there were guys as old as 60 playing on the field with their sons and grandsons," Ettedgui said. "It's a lot of fun to give former players a chance to get back on the field with their family members for some intense hard-hitting football."

Ettedgui said tickets for the alumni game will go on sale beginning in August. Tickets will be available through alumni as well as the athletic office at each school.

The game serves as a fundraiser for Dearborn Public Schools. Alumni Football USA will donate 50 percent of the presale ticket sales to Dearborn and Fordson. In addition, 100 percent of concession and raffle sales will be donated to DHS, the host school for the 2013 game.

If all goes well, Ettedgui said both schools have already expressed interest in hosting a second game in 2014.

"We've even talked about the possibility of a game featuring only the alumni from the classes of 2011 and 2012," he said.

Tickets for the Sept. 28 game are $10 general admission, and $5 for children ages 6-12. For more information, visit http://www.alumnifootballusa.com/.