It’s officially a three-peat. At 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, Rome resident Tony Triplitt purchased his four tickets to the 2010 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football Championship, making him the first ticket buyer for each of the three games that have been played in Rome.

“Tony has become a part of the NAIA tradition in Rome," said Host Committee Co-Chair Bill Peterson, who also serves as athletic director for Shorter University. “As soon as Rome was announced as the host site in 2008, Tony wanted to know how he could get tickets. He has been first in line each year since. We now know that the countdown to the game is underway."

This year’s championship match will be played Saturday, Dec. 18 at Barron Stadium. The regular price for game tickets is $25 although the host committee is offering a limited time discount.

“We really want to encourage fan participation in this year’s event so we are offering discounted tickets for a limited time,” Peterson said. “Fans who purchase tickets between now and Dec. 1 can get game tickets at a cost of $15 each. The NAIA Championship is a wonderful family event, and we want to help make it an affordable option.”

Game tickets are available for purchase from The Forum by calling 706-291-5281, 800-858-7601, or visiting www.forumevents.org. Also available are tickets for other championship events, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Champions of Character Breakfast, which will be held Thursday, Dec. 16 at 8 a.m. at the Forum, and the NAIA Banquet of Champions, which will be held Friday, Dec. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Forum. Tickets for these events are $25 for an individual ticket or $300 for a sponsor’s table of 10.

For more information on the 2010 championship game, visit www.NAIANationalChampionship.com.