CRESTVIEW HILLS, KY. (September 3, 2021) — Thomas More University, in celebration of their Centennial anniversary, will begin a yearlong series of events aimed to honor the past and propel the University into the next one hundred years as it aims to become the region’s premier Catholic university. The kickoff of the celebration starts with Saturday’s schedule of events as well as an entire weekend of activities.  

Thomas More University Saints’ 2021-22 football team will take the field for their home opener on Saturday, September 11^thversus the Faulkner University Eagles of Alabama. President Dr. Joseph L. Chillo will host a tailgating rally prior to the game where he will honor over 100 Thomas More University graduates and community members that serve as first responders, law enforcement, armed services members, and veterans. Included in the president’s remarks to the attendees will be a moment of silence in memory of the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. “While this is an exciting time at Thomas More, as we kick off our Centennial anniversary weekend, it is important that we take time to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and those who put their lives on the line every day to protect our community,” said Chillo. 

In addition, President Chillo will announce that the turf athletic field at Griffin Plaza will now be named Republic Bank Field, thanks to a generous gift from the Republic Bank & Trust Company and the Republic Bank Foundation. “We are proud to continue to partner with Thomas More University with their long history of academic and athletic excellence,” said Tom Saelinger, Market President for Northern Kentucky and Ohio for Republic Bank. 

Jason Payne, Managing Director of the NKY Market for Republic Bank, and a 2015 graduate of the Thomas More University Master of Business Administration program added, “We couldn’t be more excited to be affiliated with the Saints Athletic program as they step into the next chapter. The Republic Bank Field at Thomas More University is a signature opportunity for us to support Thomas More!”  

This game will be the first ever match up for these two conference leaders. The titanic struggle will take place under the lights at Republic Bank Field at Griffin Plaza in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 3,000 attendees. While the events will take place entirely outside, Thomas More University is asking fans who are unvaccinated to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask during all tailgate and game day activities. 

The Saints of Thomas More University are looking to build on their 2-4, COVID-19-shortened season of 2020. Under third-year head coach Trevor Stellman, the team is predicted to finish in the top half of the Mid-South Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Faulkner Eagles are coming off a 6-2 season in 2020, and at the helm is first-year head coach Rob Gray.  According to Coach Stellman, “We are extremely excited about getting back to a regular schedule playing in the fall. Our players are equally excited to have ALL of our fans in attendance as we take to the newly resurfaced Republic Bank Field. With the support from Republic Bank and our hometown fans we know this year will be one to remember.”

The official dedication of Republic Bank Field at Griffin Plaza will take place at halftime. “We are grateful for our partnership with Republic Bank and for the generosity of the Republic Bank Foundation. Their generous investment in our students is emblematic of the Bank’s strong commitment to leadership, service, and education in the Greater-Cincinnati region,” said Chillo. Republic Bank has been the official bank of Thomas More University since 2016. The Bank is also the sponsor for the University’s Institute for Career Development and Graduate School Planning, a signature program in the Thomas More Success Center. 

The teams will take the field at 7:00 PM on Republic Bank Field. During the first half, President Chillo and Thomas More University will honor all first responders in attendance by asking the crowd to acknowledge their sacrifice and service and to pay homage to the trials and tribulations of that fateful day twenty years ago with a moment of silence.

In continued celebration of Thomas More University’s Centennial, a fireworks display will conclude the evening.  The tailgating, honoring our first responders, remembering 9/11 and the home football game are all initial events celebrating Thomas More University’s Centennial and will serve as a kickoff to the next 100 years.  Please visit ThomasMore100.com for more information on the Centennial celebration, including the series of events and announcements planned for this inaugural weekend and for the remainder of the year.

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Thomas More University provides students with something much more than job training. Graduates are prepared for any career. But they leave prepared for much more.They are exposed to the very best thought, literature, art, and music. They learn to harness the power of human reason to solve problems and discover truth. Most importantly, they have the chance to begin to become the person they were created to be. This is the power of the liberal arts in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition at Thomas More University. Our students come here looking for more. And that’s exactly what we offer. Here our students take that opportunity and…Make It More. Learn more at thomasmore.edu.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Reynolds, Ed.D., vice president for institutional advancement and acting director of communications and PR, reynolk@thomasmore.edu, 859.344.3344