PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF and Florida Tech football programs will meet on the gridiron for the first time this weekend, and will do so in the newly created Coastal Classic.
                                     
With both campuses located in popular vacation destinations along two of Florida's coastal area – UWF on the Emerald Coast of northwest Florida and Florida Tech along the Space Coast, from Titusville to Palm Bay along Interstate 95 and US Highway 1 – its was a natural creation for the only NCAA Division II football schools in the state to start the friendly rivalry as part of their conference season.
 
The teams will play for the Coastal Classic Trophy, which stands 24 inches tall on a six-inch wooden base. It features a large bronze anchor and 6-pointed ship's wheel with nautical sailing rope as the focal point of the trophy. A small bell is attached to the anchor with a white segment of sailing rope attached its clapper.
 
UWF is in its first year of sponsoring football and is 2-2 on the season, while Florida Tech is playing its fourth season and is off to a 4-0 start and currently ranked as high as No. 19. Both teams are members of the Gulf South Conference in football.
 
Kickoff for Saturday's inaugural Coastal Classic is set for 6:00 p.m. Central time at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola. The game will be televised nationally by the American Sports Network as part of the NCAA Division II Game of the Week.