Navy, SDSU Near Deal on Football Game

San Diego State might follow up its Holiday Classic football game against USC in September 1992 with a similar match-up with Navy in 1993 or 1994, officials said Wednesday.

Jack Lengyel, Navy athletic director, and Fred Miller, SDSU athletic director, spoke with members of the Greater San Diego Sports Assn.--sponsor of the Holiday Bowl--Tuesday, and the GSDSA executive committee met Wednesday and voted to recommend sponsorship of the game to the organization’s board.

Now, all that needs to be worked out are the details.

Lengyel, who expects to receive approval from Navy’s board of directors in about a week, said the game probably will be scheduled in 1994. He said he prefers a 1994 game because “we won’t have to move anybody.” Navy was supposed to play Georgia in September, 1994, but the Bulldogs cancelled because of conference obligations.

In either year, Miller will have to shuffle SDSU’s schedule. Miller said there are still some “shifts and tugs” that need to happen before things with Navy are agreed upon, but he is optimistic.

“We’ve talked to Navy for two years,” he said.

John Reid, executive director of the Holiday Bowl, said the GSDSA is interested in Navy “because of who we are and where. This is a military town. The first Holiday Bowl was an enormous success with Navy coming in.”

Despite the SDSU-USC game and now Navy-SDSU, Reid said he does not expect the September Holiday Classic to become an annual event.

“Probably not,” he said. “I think our attitude is we would look and opportunities that present themselves and not feel bound (to have a game each year).”