Fort Lewis College football will make history Saturday, Sept. 5, when the Skyhawks host Arizona Christian University for the first-ever football game under the new lights at Ray Dennison Memorial Field. Hutton Broadcasting is the official game sponsor, with a live tailgate broadcast beginning at 4 p.m. before the 6 p.m. kickoff.
Football under the lights is finally coming to the Fort Lewis College mesa.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Skyhawks will take on the Arizona Christian University Firestorm in their 2026 home opener, and this one will look a little different from any Fort Lewis football game that has come before it.
For the first time, Ray Dennison Memorial Field will host a football game under permanent stadium lights. FLC is billing the matchup as its Inaugural Night Game and a Blackout, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
It’s a milestone more than six decades in the making. Games were first played at Ray Dennison Memorial Field in the fall of 1959, with the stadium officially dedicated the following year. Now, nearly 70 years later, Saturday night will open a new chapter for one of Durango’s longtime college sports venues.
Start Early at the Tailgate
The action starts well before kickoff. Tailgating opens in the Art Lot at 4 p.m., two hours before the game, and Hutton Broadcasting will be on location broadcasting live from the tailgate party. FLC encourages fans to arrive early and be part of the pregame atmosphere.
Hutton Broadcasting is serving as the official sponsor of the game, and The Breakfast Club’s Dustin Nolen and Jessi Kay are slated to head onto the field for the pregame coin toss. The live tailgate broadcast begins at 4 p.m. before the Skyhawks and Firestorm take the field at 6.
Fans who get there early have another reason to arrive before the stands fill up: the first 400 fans will receive a free Blackout T-shirt.
A Familiar Opponent Returns to Durango
Fort Lewis and Arizona Christian have developed a competitive little nonconference series over the past few seasons. The programs are tied 2-2 all-time, but the Skyhawks have won each of the last two meetings.
Last September, Fort Lewis put together one of its biggest wins of the 2025 season, defeating Arizona Christian 58-10 in Glendale. The Skyhawk defense forced six turnovers in the victory while Fort Lewis piled up 382 yards of offense.
Arizona Christian comes to Durango beginning a new era of its own. The 2026 season is the Firestorm’s first under head coach Drew Maddox, and Saturday’s matchup at Fort Lewis is ACU’s season opener.
