WAC lowers boom on student sections

MeanGreen61 · April 3, 2006

Move will free up 1,500 seats behind visitors bench.

By David White / The Fresno Bee

Friday, March 31, 2006

Fresno State isn't sending its students to the back of the class. Just to the back of the goal posts.

The Western Athletic Conference has barred its members from putting student sections behind the visiting football team's bench. Fresno State will relocate 1,500 student seats to the south end zone for the 2006 season beginning Sept.1 against Nevada.

The new policy opens two sections of aluminum bench seats on Bulldog Stadium's east side to Bulldog Foundation donors, who are expected to swallow all the prime seats at $990 for two season tickets. The price includes a $380 donation to the BDF, a nonprofit fundraising group that funds student-athlete scholarships.

Speaking of students, they paid $75 per season ticket for the same seats last year. No price has been set on their new seating assignment, Fresno State associate athletic director Paul Ladwig said.

"The WAC wanted to be able to create more of a fan-friendly atmosphere and get away from the heckling some of the student groups can do to those visiting teams," Ladwig said.

"We weren't just moving the students. It was a WAC thing. What we're hoping for now is 1,500 new season-ticket holders who will look at these as prime seats."

The new policy affects four member schools: Fresno State, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and San Jose State.

Fresno State's student section is branded one of the rowdiest in the WAC by visiting coaches and players. Under coach Pat Hill's watch, the group has grown from several hundred per game to regular student-body sellouts.

Oregon State (2001) and San Diego State (2002) complained of brutish behavior and beer dunkings during visits to Bulldog Stadium, but increased security has limited complaints from opposing teams. Although it was never determined that a student threw it, a screwdriver landed near Hawaii coach June Jones during a game in 2002.

Don't be so sure the move will make for a better visiting experience. Fresno State center Kyle Young said the average fan is often more abusive than the typical liberal arts major.

"I've seen a bunch of 50-year-old drunks who are far worse than the students," said Young, a senior-to-be with 19 career road starts. "They're the ones who don't say much you can print. The students are pretty creative."

Young couldn't name one WAC venue where the student abuse was memorable enough to warrant a relocation.

"We usually have the most students. … I like them sitting behind the other team's bench," Young said. "Anything that gives us the slightest edge."

Fresno State is moving 114 season-ticket holders from the end zone to make room for the students. School administrators met with student body leaders to discuss the new WAC policy.

Some thought their seats were going to fans from the visiting team. Not so, Ladwig said. Visiting fans will remain seated near the northeast corner of the stadium.

"We really thought there would be a few disgruntled about moving their prime seats to another location, but the student group has been tremendous," Ladwig said.

Fresno's Jeffrey Padgett, a Fresno City College student, plans to transfer to Fresno State next year. He is disappointed the WAC won't allow him a chance to heckle the visiting team within earshot of their bench, and wonders if Fresno State hoped to sell those seats for a larger profit all along.

"It ruins the whole homefield advantage," Padgett said. "Your loudest section used to be behind the visitors. Now, they're off to the corner. That's not right. This lets them take away the seats without raising a fuss."

The now-former student section is at the bottom of Sections 31 and 32. Tickets there in 2006 will cost no more than red seats in higher locations.

The seats go into the general season-ticket pool and initially are available on a first-come, first-served basis in the Bulldog Foundation annual drive, which starts Thursday. Any unsold seats will be made available to the public later.

"I still think our students will be out in great numbers," Hill said. "I sure hope so. They've been great."

VideoEagle · April 3, 2006

Heckling of the visiting team by students should be an integral part of college athletics!

UNTFan23 · April 3, 2006

Can you imagine if we were in the WAC and the students had to live with that rule?

Although ... it might help spur the students into helping fund a new stadium.

Baby Arm! · April 3, 2006

Can you imagine if we were in the WAC and the students had to live with that rule?
Although ... it might help spur the students into helping fund a new stadium.
←

We've done it before...This was a rule in the Southland back in the D1-AA days and I believe during the Big West time as well. The visitor's benches were on the Alumni/Press box side of Fouts. Home team benches were on the student side.

OldTimer · April 3, 2006

I can remember NT playing UTA on their stage seated against metal bleachers immediately behind the players bench. UTA fans holding a dead chicken over the heads of NT players dripping blood on them, also holding a tin garbage can lid of their heads and beating it with a tire jack...NT coaches had to move onto the court to talk to their players. NO UTA staff did anything.

Several NT students and exes and I started coming early to grab those seats including myself and John McDowell and try to prevent it from happening.

I hope NT never plays UTA on that theater stage....with an orchestra pit a few strides off the playing court and brick walls just another few strides behind each goal. IT's really dangereous for our players who have never played there before.

VideoEagle · April 4, 2006

Texas Hall is an awful place to play!

One of the best decisions made in the basketball was to refuse to play there. It is simply too dangerous!

CorinthEagle · April 4, 2006

We've done it before...This was a rule in the Southland back in the D1-AA days and I believe during the Big West time as well. The visitor's benches were on the Alumni/Press box side of Fouts. Home team benches were on the student side.
←

With the track between the students and the opposing players at Fouts, would they really be any farther from them if they moved them across the field?

untbowler · April 4, 2006

Believe it or not at SHSU they would not allow the student section to be behind the Home Benches b/c they felt we were to mean to the home team

Arkstfan · April 5, 2006

Heckling of the visiting team by students should be an integral part of college athletics!
←

But dumping beer, ice, and cokes on opposing players isn't, nor is flinging screwdrivers (the metal kind not the orange juice and vodka kind) at opposing coaches. That was the situation in the WAC and Fresno was putting more cops in the area but it apparently wasn't helping so they adopted that rule.

Baby Arm! · April 6, 2006

But dumping beer, ice, and cokes on opposing players isn't, nor is flinging screwdrivers (the metal kind not the orange juice and vodka kind) at opposing coaches. That was the situation in the WAC and Fresno was putting more cops in the area but it apparently wasn't helping so they adopted that rule.
←

Shoot, that stuff happens in the FAMILY section at LSU!