The Indianapolis Colts will hold a practice at Ball State Stadium on April 30. Colts president Bill Polian and Ball State athletics director Bubba Cunningham announced the plans Tuesday at the Colts' headquarters.
"We think it's an exciting thing," Polian said. "It will be good to bring the Colts to an area of Northeast Indiana where people haven't seen us up close and personal before."
The practice, the first of a mandatory three-day minicamp, will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. A 15- to 20-minute autograph session will precede the practice. Tickets are $5 and children 12 and under are able to get in free. The admission charge will offset the cost of Ball State paying for the Colts' transportation and for security.
"We will charge a ticket price to try to break even, but it really is a revenue neutral proposition," Cunningham said. "We are trying to gain exposure for Ball State football, and the Colts are trying to get additional season tickets in that part of the state.
"It's a great opportunity to showcase NFL football in Muncie, Indiana. It allows our campus community to really build some enthusiasm for the fall. As a Division I-A football institution, it's great for our players to see the NFL players on their field, in their stadium and on the Ball State campus."
Cunningham added that the exposure generated by the practice will not just benefit the Colts and Ball State, but the Muncie community as well.
"It's a great economic development opportunity for the city of Muncie to have an NFL franchise team come in," he said. "It will be good for our restaurants. It will be good for the community to come out and see such a wonderful event and some celebrities that wouldn't typically get to that part of the state."
Although the two parties just signed a contract Monday, Cunningham said the idea of a Colts practice at Ball State was first brought to him nearly two years ago, when he first came to Muncie as athletics director.
Frank Sabatine, dean of the school of extended education, is a long-time friend of Dom Anile, director of football operations for the Colts. Conversations between them originally centered around having the team's training camp at Ball State, but with the two sides' overlapping schedules, talk moved to just having a single practice.
"The (Pittsburgh) Steelers had been going to my high school (Greensburg Salem, near Pittsburgh)," Sabatine said. "I thought if the Steelers can go to a high school, surely we can get the Colts to come here.
"I think it's a great thing. How often does a kid get to get that close to pro athletes? We're trying to get corporate sponsors to buy tickets and give them out."
The April 30 practice will be the Colts' first since the upcoming NFL draft, so fans will get to see the team's newest players. The final two practices of the minicamp will be in Indianapolis.
"(Head coach) Tony (Dungy) picked the time and date because he felt it would be good for the fans to see the team right out of the box," Polian said. "All of our new players will be excited to be there, and we are looking forward to it."
Cunningham doesn't know whether the Colts practicing at Ball State will become an annual event but feels it's a good start to developing a relationship between the two parties.
"We just think it's a win-win situation for Ball State athletics in particular to be in association with the Indianapolis Colts," he said. "I'd really like to thank the Colts organization and Mr. Polian for that opportunity."
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