Little Rock will host the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Football National Championship on Wednesday, December 14 at War Memorial Stadium at 8pm. The game is presented by Zurich Insurance and is the third of four NJCAA football championship games to be held in Little Rock. The 2020 championship game, postponed due to the pandemic, was played in June 2021, and the city will continue its role as host through 2023.
This game will feature the best in junior college football with a game full of players recruited to play at the NCAA level next year, including programs in the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12. Some top recruits in this game include: From Hutchinson: Malik Benson – Alabama commit; Dez’MondSchuster – Illinois commit; Jaden Jones – Florida State commit; and from Iowa Western: Anterio Thompson – Iowa commit and Will Lea – Kansas State commit.
This year’s matchup will be between No. 1 Hutchinson and No. 2 Iowa Western. Hutchinson won the 2020-21 NJCAA Football Championship, the first played at War Memorial Stadium in June 2021. Iowa Western advanced to the 2021 NJCAA DI Football Championship but fell to New Mexico Military 31-13.
In the semifinals, (1) Hutchinson defeated (4) Coffeyville (KS) 38-7 and (2) Iowa Western defeated (3) Northwest Mississippi 33-12. Hutchinson and Iowa Western last faced off in each team’s final regular season game on November 12, 2022 at Iowa Western in Council Bluffs, IA. Hutchinson won 29-28.
General admission tickets are $15 and club-level tickets are $45. Tickets are available online here or can be purchased onsite the day of the event.
The game kicks off at 8 pm, but football fans are invited to tailgate at War Memorial Stadium starting at 1pm. This year’s game will be aired live on ESPN U at 8pm CST.
The NJCAA selected Little Rock to host its football championship gamesthrough 2023 in partnership with the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Opened in 1948, War Memorial Stadium currently seats 54,120 and serves as the football home-away-from-home for the Arkansas Razorbacks. In addition to many historic games involving the Razorbacks, War Memorial hosts major concerts and speaking events (past events have included Billy Graham, the Eagles and the Rolling Stones). In addition, it serves as the home for the Little Rock Rangers professional soccer team and hosts other college and high school games including the annual state high-school football championships.
In addition to individual tickets, group sales promotions are available for the NJCAA title game. For more information, contact McKenzie Garrison, NJCAA Director of Marketing & Communications, at 719-590-9788 or [email protected] .
