CORAL GABLES, FLA. (AP) - Miami is looking to play at Yankee Stadium.
Hurricanes athletic director Kirby Hocutt engaged in talks with New York Yankees officials Tuesday and Wednesday about the possibility of Miami playing in the team’s new ballpark during the 2013 season, and emerged believing that an agreement could be struck.
“I feel confident to say the Miami Hurricanes are going to have a presence in New York City,” Hocutt told The Associated Press.
No potential date, or opponent, has been revealed, although it’s likely any game would take place in November because of the baseball playoff schedule. Hocutt said there are “a couple options” on the table, but stressed he wants to make sure any deal is the right fit.
“There’s obviously a desire on our part to get up into this market,” Hocutt said. “The Yankee organization, they’ve expressed their interest and desire to have the game in the stadium. So I’m confident that there’s interest on both sides.”
Miami already has 10 games _ five home, five away _ scheduled for 2013, eight of them being Atlantic Coast Conference matchups. The Hurricanes plan to host longtime rival Florida on Sept. 7, 2013. Miami is scheduled to visit South Florida on Nov. 30 of that year in Tampa, Fla., the Yankees’ spring training home.
That leaves two non-conference dates for the Hurricanes still to fill, and if the Yankee Stadium plan comes together, their likely preference would be to make the sixth road game of the year a neutral-site contest in New York.
“I think it’s great for college football and the University of Miami,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. “You play teams outside of the conference a lot … and it’s an opportunity for us to be in the Northeast, which is a big University of Miami alumni base area.”
Miami has already added one marquee non-conference, neutral-site game to its upcoming schedule. The Hurricanes will play Notre Dame at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2012.
There’s a number of ties between the Hurricanes and Yankees _ including Alex Rodriguez.
The Yankees’ third baseman nearly enrolled at Miami before signing his first pro deal, has donated millions to his adopted university and is a member of the school’s board of trustees. Rodriguez regularly works out at Miami during the offseason as well, but has not been part of these talks between the Hurricanes and the Yankees, Hocutt said.
Miami played in the old Yankee Stadium in 1962, losing to Nebraska in what was the final edition of the Gotham Bowl.
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