LITTLE ROCK –Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield today has been announced as the presenting sponsor of the Governor's I-40 Showdown, the head-to-head rivalry series pitting the athletic programs from the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
"Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield is pleased to present this great in-state rivalry between two competitive athletic programs," said Curtis Barnett, Arkansas Blue Cross president and CEO. "College sports not only is fun to watch and gives us an opportunity to rally around our favorite teams, but we know it teaches great life lessons as well. We wish both university teams safe and healthy play. Our best to the Trojans and Bears. Play fearless!"
2019-20 marks the second year of the Governor's I-40 Showdown, pitting the Bears and Trojans against each other for state bragging rights across the academic year. Announced in Governor Asa Hutchinson's office on August 16, 2018, the rivalry series was established to promote the spirit of in-state competition between the Little Rock Trojans and the Central Arkansas Bears while celebrating the athletic programs of both schools.
While these two Division I institutions, separated by just 30 miles, have competed against each other for decades, the series will ensure the Bears and Trojans continue their rivalry in all sports that are mutually sponsored by both institutions.
As part of the Arkansas Blue CrossGovernor's I-40 Showdown, Little Rock and Central Arkansas will compete on the fields of play each year across 11 sports. The Bears and Trojans will meet annually in baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's cross country and men's and women's golf.
Each head-to-head competition will have a pre-determined point value for the winning team. The university that accumulates the most points during the athletic season will have its name permanently engraved on the Governor's Trophy - a traveling trophy that will reside on the reigning champion's campus the following year.
The Governor's Trophy will be presented at the final competition between the two schools, which is the annual baseball game played at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
In the inaugural year of the Governor's I-40 showdown, Central Arkansas captured the trophy, earning 26.5 points to Little Rock's 16.5 points. The Bears used a phenomenal fall semester to surge to the victory, earning wins in volleyball, men's and women's cross country, women's golf and both men's basketball showdowns. Little Rock responded in the spring as baseball earned a three-game sweep of Central Arkansas, including the 5-1 victory at Dickey-Stephens Park on May 14.
#LittleRocksTeam
