Raffle Tickets to Big Game Still on Sale

10/22/2013 

The battle for the Cortaca Jug shouldn't be the only big football game on the minds of SUNY Cortland fans in November.

A limited number of raffle tickets remain offering the chance to win an expenses-paid trip for two to professional football’s biggest game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2.

Only 500 tickets will be sold through late December at $100 apiece.

The College acquired the tickets through its close ties with the NFL’s New York Jets, the team that calls SUNY Cortland its official university partner and summer training camp home.

All of the money raised from the raffle will go exclusively to the Cortland College Foundation scholarship fund, which supports first-generation college students, high achievers in the classroom and those with financial need.

“Our partnership with the New York Jets is about much more than three weeks of football practice during the summer,” said Kimberly Pietro, SUNY Cortland’s vice president for institutional advancement. “It’s about opportunity — for our students, for our alumni and for our community.

“The prize itself is one of a kind and offers an experience most people dream about, but it’s the support for our students that means the most.”

One lucky raffle participant will receive the deluxe package worth $4,375. The grand prize includes two tickets to the championship game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; a three-night stay from Friday, Jan. 31, to Monday, Feb. 3, at the Courtyard Secaucus Meadowlands; and $1,000 for travel and other expenses.

It’s the fifth time SUNY Cortland will offer the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A graduate has won each of the four previous raffles.

Sean Murray ’80, last year’s winner, shared an unforgettable trip to New Orleans with his wife and witnessed a second-half thriller between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

“Having not won much else in my life, it was a blessing,” said Murray, of Cincinnati. “To me, it’s a good way to give back with just a little bit of incentive.”

This year’s drawing will be held Monday, Dec. 30, and all entries must be received by Monday, Dec. 23. Participants must be at least 18 years of age to purchase a raffle ticket.

Those interested in buying a raffle ticket should send payment, cash or check, with name, home address, phone number and an email address to Sheila Morse, the financial operations specialist for the Cortland College Foundation, at P.O. Box 2000, Cortland, NY 13045. Checks should be made payable to Cortland College Foundation, Inc.

For more information, contact Morse at 607-753-2532.