January 12, 2022
Via a Zoom meeting on Wednesday morning, SUNY Niagara President, William J. Murabito challenged Massasoit Community College President, Ray DiPasquale to a friendly wager on the outcome of the playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots this Saturday, January 15. Massasoit Community College is located deep in New England Patriots’ territory in Brockton, Massachusetts. President DiPasquale logged into the virtual meeting wearing a Patriots hat with a custom background featuring the Patriots Super Bowl banners. Not one to be outdone, President Murabito confidently sported a Buffalo Bills hat in support of the hometown team and made a wager of chocolate orange sponge candy handcrafted by students at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, a division of SUNY Niagara.
This Western New York specialty will be sent to Massasoit in the event the Bills lose on Saturday, though President Murabito taunted, “I don’t expect a need to send those to you.” Amused by the comment, President DiPasquale gestured to the Patriots background behind him saying, “See those championship banners?” Noting the confidence he had in the rookie quarterback of the Patriots, he offered gourmet chocolates created by students in the Massasoit culinary program as his part of the wager in the case a New England Patriots defeat on Saturday night. Certain of a Buffalo Bills victory, President Murabito announced, “We are looking forward to those chocolates!”
One thing both presidents agreed upon is that it would be a great game between the two rival teams. While the weather forecast is expected to be incredibly cold in Buffalo for the game, the sweet wager between the two colleges is just an example of the warmth of the fans behind each team.
Media Contact Information
Sara Harvey
Assistant Director, Public Relations and Event Management
Phone: 716-614-6220
Email: sharvey@niagaracc.suny.edu