HOLLAND -- Hope College team opens defense of its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) football championship with the renewal of its oldest football rival on Saturday (October 12) as the Flying Dutchmen host Kalamazoo for Homecoming.

Kickoff at Holland Municipal Stadium will be 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast by WHTC-AM (1450) and WFUR-FM (102.9).

There will be a moment of silence prior to the game in memory of Hope alumnus and football player David Pruim. Pruim was working on the 103rd floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center on September 11th. He is among the thousands of missing.

A 1970 graduate, he lettered in football for three years, starting at offensive guard as a senior. He did not play football in high school and didn't take up the collegiate game until his sophomore year.

Pruim was senior vice president of risk services for Aon Corp., the world's second-largest insurance company. He is survived by his wife Kate Small Pruim, Hope Class of 1972, and a 10-year-old daughter, Carrington.

When Hope plays Kalamazoo its is known as the "Wooden Shoes Rivalry." The coach of the winning team gains possession of a pair of hand-carved wooden shoes until the next meeting of the teams.

This will be the 81st renewal of a series that started in 1910. It is Hope's oldest active football rivalry. Hope holds a 40-34-6 advantage in the series. The Flying Dutchmen have won 21 of the last 25 games between the teams, including a 45-25 victory in 2000.

Both teams are stepping into league play from successful non-conference schedules. The Hornets are undefeated (4-0) while the Flying Dutchmen (3-1) have a three-game winning streak. Each team has had two weeks to prepare after having a bye last Saturday.

"This is always an exciting time of the year," said coach Dean Kreps who guided the Flying Dutchmen to three conference titles in his six years. "You like to win your non-conference games, but the focus is always on competing the conference championship. We're excited about playing Kalamazoo. This is a fun rivalry to prepare for."

Each team features a high-powered offense, Hope averaging 39.2 points against Kalamazoo's 37.8 average. Amazingly, the teams have approached the offensive dimension of their game identically. Through four games, each has run with the football 148 times and each has attempted 132 passes.

The team's quarterbacks rank one-two in the MIAA in passing efficiency. Kalamazoo's Brian Gnyp has a 159.0 NCAA efficiency rating (100.0 is considered "average") while Hope's Phil Butler is at 151.4. Butler has 13 touchdown passes compared to 12 by Gnyp.

Kalamazoo's defense is allowing opponents just 44.8 yards per game rushing (1.6 yards per carry). Hope tailback John Sloothaak tops the MIAA, averaging 99.0 yards a game (5.0 yards per carry).

The Flying Dutchmen will travel to Alma on Saturday, Oct. 20 before returning home against Adrian on Oct. 27.

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