Attendance Question

shaft · November 21, 2011

Can anyone post our historic attendance averages (or a link to them)?

I'm curious to compare our current attendance record against a few things like

other Head Coach's first year, our SBC glory days, our so called SLC glory days.

Edited November 21, 2011 by shaft

NThomas · November 21, 2011

Can anyone post our historic attendance averages (or a link to them)?

I'm curious to compare our current attendance record against a few things like
other Head Coach's first year, our SBC glory days, our so called SLC glory days.

If you can get a copy of the media guide that lists the attendance average annually, don't look at the attendance numbers without considering Fouts Field only held 20,000 from 1952-1993. When the endzone expansion opened in 1994, the attendance numbers spiked helping the Eagles get the numbers needed to get back to Division I-A. A group of donors bought huge blocks of seats to spike up the average attendance for the NCAA auditors.

wardly · November 21, 2011

Hayden Fry coached 1973/1978. he averaged 11,000 per game 1st 4 seasons,19,600 in 1977 when we were ranked 16th in nation, and 17,700 his next and final season. we were in SLC 1983/1994, and made the NCAA 1-AA playoffs 4 times.we averaged 19,500 our last season in 1-AA, but only 11,600 the previous 11 seasons. when it comes to attendance, we have no "golden era".

wardly · November 21, 2011

Hayden Fry coached 1973/1978. he averaged 11,000 per game 1st 4 seasons,19,600 in 1977 when we were ranked 16th in nation, and 17,700 his next and final season. we were in SLC 1983/1994, and made the NCAA 1-AA playoffs 4 times.we averaged 19,500 our last season in 1-AA, but only 11,600 the previous 11 seasons. when it comes to attendance, we have no "golden era".

note:in 1994 we averaged 19,500 playing only 4 home games,Abilene Christian,Montana,Mcneese State,and Sam Houston State,playing 8 road games including a 20-24 lose at Boise State in a 1AA playoff game. we were 7-4-1 for the season. go figure.

DallasGreen · November 21, 2011

note:in 1994 we averaged 19,500 playing only 4 home games,Abilene Christian,Montana,Mcneese State,and Sam Houston State,playing 8 road games including a 20-24 lose at Boise State in a 1AA playoff game. we were 7-4-1 for the season. go figure.

Our attendance has always been a mystery to me. Don't you know a new stadium only one third full said a lot to the other BCS leagues about our abismal support, and on SBC t.v. nonetheless. What do students do on Sat. nights? Maybe the upcoming holiday and two DISD teams in the playoffs had something to do with it, but I do feel the lack of support had to affect players, coaches, and the few fans and students that actually showed up!!

3XNTGRAD · November 21, 2011

note:in 1994 we averaged 19,500 playing only 4 home games,Abilene Christian,Montana,Mcneese State,and Sam Houston State,playing 8 road games including a 20-24 lose at Boise State in a 1AA playoff game. we were 7-4-1 for the season. go figure.

We averaged 19,500 tickets sold, not butts in seats, in the 1994 push to I-A.

I personally was two persons at each of those games (bought cheap end zone season tickets that I never used and entered with my student ID so I could double up).

FirefightnRick · November 22, 2011

Our very first sellout of Fouts was against Stephen F Austin in 1988.

It was an amazing accomplishment by one of our very finest alumns and posters here, drex.

The team was ranked #1 nationally in 1-AA for several weeks following our wins over Tech and Texas, and working with a bubblegum and duck tape budget he took advantage of it and did something that had never been done the previous 36 years.

Rick

wardly · November 22, 2011

Our very first sellout of Fouts was against Stephen F Austin in 1988.

It was an amazing accomplishment by one of our very finest alumns and posters here, drex.

The team was ranked #1 nationally in 1-AA for several weeks following our wins over Tech and Texas, and working with a bubblegum and duck tape budget he took advantage of it and did something that had never been done the previous 36 years.

Rick

Rick,i was at the Texas game in 1988 on about the 5 yard line a few rows up when Texas was awarded a last second touchdown when their receiver was out of bounds in the back of the end zone. also traveled with team to Marshall for 1AA playoff where we got beat fair and square. after the hardfought game, both teams and some fans charged onto the field and began to duke it out.after cops broke it up, we boarded our bus to return to airport and were pelted with rocks and bottles.when we got to plane, police were searching for a bomb because of a called in threat.to this day i don't know whether its best to be in front or behind a "Thundering Herd".

FirefightnRick · November 22, 2011

I was on the front row at the goal line in Austin. Crazy scene afterward for sure. My roommate at the time was back up LB Brent Loyd. When they got back from Huntington he said he had never been spat on or had beer poured on him as a player in a game before.

Rick

akriesman · November 22, 2011

We averaged 19,500 tickets sold, not butts in seats, in the 1994 push to I-A.

I personally was two persons at each of those games (bought cheap end zone season tickets that I never used and entered with my student ID so I could double up).

I remember that season. It was the lure of moving up to 1-A that put a lot of butts in the seats that year.

At the time, I actually preferred 1-AA because of the fact they had a REAL playoff system. I realize that for the university to really improve its athletic prestige, we have to stay 1-A. But, I enjoyed the 1-AA playoff format much more than any bowl game we have been in.

I hope that in my lifetime we will get to see a real 1-A champion crowned on the field, not just the polls.

P.S.-I was in Austin in '88 also. My brother and I had planned on hitting 6th street that night. But, the way we lost that game made us sick to our stomach. It was a long and quiet drive home from Austin.

Edited November 22, 2011 by akriesman