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SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The BYU-San Diego State football game scheduled for Saturday night has been postponed until Dec. 1 because Qualcomm Stadium is being used as an evacuation center for residents displaced by wildfires.
"There is a far greater priority than sporting events in the San Diego area at this time," Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. "The focus should be on emergency response and resources, and getting the community back on its feet. Our thoughts are with our colleagues at San Diego State University, as well as everyone who has been affected by this disaster."
Thompson made the decision to postpone, on a recommendation by SDSU.
"If we took away even one evacuee because we wanted to play a football game, that just wouldn't be right," athletic director Jeff Schemmel said. "This is far, far more important."
Schemmel, coach Chuck Long, defensive coordinator Bob Elliott and offensive coordinator Del Miller were among 40 people on SDSU's athletic staff who had to evacuate their homes. Schemmel said he thinks everyone's home is OK.
The NFL's Chargers are scheduled to play the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium. The NFL and the team are discussing what to do about that game.
All other SDSU athletic events will be postponed or moved to alternate sites.
The MWC men's and women's cross country championships, originally scheduled for Saturday at Mission Bay, will be moved to Albuquerque, N.M. The cross country championships also were moved from San Diego to Albuquerque in 2003 due to wildfires.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-10-23-07 2056MDT
