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Post by Crucis#1 on Jun 26, 2018 15:16:43 GMT -5
fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/Attendance/2017.pdfHC averaged 7,200 for 5 Home Games. Total attendance 36,001. Led the Patriot League in average attendance. Lehigh had 42,827 over 6 Home Games. Patriot League Lehigh 7,138 - 6 Home Games Lafayette 5,589 - 5 Home Games Colgate 4,788 - 5 Home Games Fordham 4,681 - 5 Home Games Bucknell 2,886 - 6 Home Games Georgetown 2,166 - 5 Home Games Of Note: Home Games, Total Attendance, Average Albany(NY) 5 29,011 5,802 Dartmouth 5 27,559 5,512 Harvard 5 52,055 10,411 Penn 5 26,374 5,275 Towson 5 26,884 5,377 Villanova 5 28,244 5,649 HOME ATTENDANCE LEADERS No. School Games Attendance Average 1. Montana 6 141,212 23,535 2. James Madison 9 195,514 21,724 3. Florida A&M 4 76,190 19,048 4. Yale 5 94,699 18,940 5. Montana St. 6 111,702 18,617 6. Jacksonville St. 6 110,328 18,388 7. North Dakota St. 9 164,996 18,333 8. Prairie View 5 89,016 17,803 9. Delaware 6 99,890 16,648 10. N.C. A&T 5 78,486 15,697 11. Grambling 4 59,699 14,925 12. Alabama St. 6 87,689 14,615 13. Southern U. 4 57,261 14,315 14. Youngstown St. 6 85,220 14,203 15. Alcorn 6 83,078 13,846 16. Jackson St. 5 68,780 13,756 17. Tennessee St. 4 48,320 12,080 18. South Dakota St. 8 95,951 11,994 19. South Carolina St. 5 59,414 11,883 20. Illinois St. 5 57,200 11,440 21. SFA 5 56,881 11,376 22. New Hampshire 6 66,141 11,024 23. Western Caro. 5 52,735 10,547 24. Mercer 5 52,725 10,545 25. Abilene Christian 5 52,204 10,441 26. North Dakota 5 52,139 10,428 27. Harvard 5 52,055 10,411 28. Eastern Wash. 5 50,617 10,123 29. McNeese 5 49,695 9,939 30. UNI 6 58,175 9,696
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Post by purplehaze on Jun 26, 2018 15:58:09 GMT -5
that stat for our attendance is 'fake news' - does anyone who attended or watched our games in 2017 want to say that the stadium was 1/3 full ? I don't think so. IMO, we pad those figures (and please don't tell me we use 'sold tickets' vs. actual attendance - that difference in miniscule).
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Post by lou on Jun 26, 2018 16:15:49 GMT -5
Most of the fake news we hear about these days isn't fake, so I'll assume these numbers are accurate as well
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Post by hcpride on Jun 26, 2018 17:51:38 GMT -5
that stat for our attendance is 'fake news' - does anyone who attended or watched our games in 2017 want to say that the stadium was 1/3 full ? I don't think so. IMO, we pad those figures (and please don't tell me we use 'sold tickets' vs. actual attendance - that difference in miniscule). Agreed, but we can assume for the sake of argument that the fakery is consistent in evaluating who is drawing better than whom. (To the extent anyone cares who draws better.) (I just saw that Yale's number is pretty high: Yale 5 94,699 18,940 and I'm sure The Game plays a part in it)
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jun 26, 2018 19:00:21 GMT -5
Having either attended or live streamed every game at Fitton last year, I don't believe the numbers were fudged any more or less than any previous year since I started following the team. An announced crowd of 9,000 "looks" the same in 2017 as it did in 2006 IMO. Also, pre-tarp Fitton was listed with a capacity of 23,000. My guess is that 28,000 could easily fit into the structure if needed. What was the announced attendance of the last BC game at home?
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Post by sader1970 on Jun 26, 2018 21:47:42 GMT -5
Agree with other posts above that this is not "fake news" and that the attendance is as accurate (or inaccurate) as it has always been. The difference between tickets sold and actual attendance is not "miniscule." I know quite a number of people, including myself and my tickets where a season ticket was sold but for one reason or another, I or others cannot make the game.
However, I would think more accurate attendance counts could be relatively easy obtained. The College has gone to the trouble and expense of bar coding the tickets, just like they do at those fancy sports stadiums like Yankee Stadium, the DCU, the Dunk, etc. But while those other places scan the barcoded tickets and you get to keep the actual ticket, Holy Cross continues to tear a portion of the ticket off and drop it in a retaining kiosk. Do they ever physically count the stubs? Does someone check the stubs against tickets sold? I seriously doubt that. Do they count ticket stubs and then add tickets sold, which would be a double count of most? Why does Holy Cross not want to get bar scanners? Too expensive?
If I had to guess, the attendance at most football games look to fill 1/4 to 1/3 of Fitton. Some games a lot less. Some games considerably more. But that's not based on last year but the last dozen or so years.
If I have some idle time, I might ask my contact in the ticket office as to how they count but wouldn't be surprised if I got a "no comment."
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Post by hc87 on Jun 26, 2018 22:31:02 GMT -5
The average of 7,200 is probably about right....Homecoming and Parent's Weekend games skew the average up somewhat. Both of those games draw (or sell tickets anyway) in the 10K+ ballpark (no pun intended) which offset some of the 2-4K clunkahs we've had in the recent past.
Are there any plans for future night games at Fitton anytime soon? Imo, those have been the only non-HC or PW games that had any real buzz about them.
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Post by gks on Jun 27, 2018 7:56:32 GMT -5
A redo of Fitton should be high on Nate's to do list. It is the first college structure people see when they arrive on campus. Needs to be a centerpiece.
That and it's really starting to show its age.
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Post by sader1970 on Jun 28, 2018 11:35:02 GMT -5
Here's the detail from last season's home attendance (and factors that might have affected attendance):
9/16/17 UNH (Ring of Honor) 80 degrees, partly cloudy - 7,906
9/30/17 Lafayette (Homecoming) 52 degrees, cloudy - 7,764
10/3/17 Monmouth (nada) 74 degrees, partly cloudy - 4,484
10/21/17 Colgate (Cross Out Cancer/Youth Day) 69 degrees, sunny - 6,784
10/28/17 Georgetown (Family Weekend/Senior Day) 63 degrees, partly cloudy - 9,063
Total= 36,001
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Post by hc87 on Jun 28, 2018 12:05:35 GMT -5
I think in general, October games draw better than September games....obviously dependant on the opponent, weather etc....but people are still in "Summah mode" for much of September imo...would you rather go sailing one last time, go to the beach etc or go to Wistahh on a sunny Saturday afternoon???
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Post by sader1970 on Jun 28, 2018 12:42:16 GMT -5
I also did not bother to factor in the turmoil of losing close away games, Gilmore's firing and the after-effects of that.
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Post by beaven302 on Jul 4, 2018 11:52:28 GMT -5
The average of 7,200 is probably about right....Homecoming and Parent's Weekend games skew the average up somewhat. Both of those games draw (or sell tickets anyway) in the 10K+ ballpark (no pun intended) which offset some of the 2-4K clunkahs we've had in the recent past. Are there any plans for future night games at Fitton anytime soon? Imo, those have been the only non-HC or PW games that had any real buzz about them. Of course, back in the day a crowd of 7,200 would have been considered a low turnout. The diminished status of HC football was underlined for me by some recent discoveries inside a trunk that contained all sorts of items from my time at HC from 1963-67. These included two yellowing Worcester Telegram sports sections that provided coverage of HC's 7-6 victory over Dartmouth and 32-26 win over BC during the 1966 season. The front pages had big bold headlines accompanied by lengthy reports on the games, which continued in equal length on an inside page. There were also separate columns about the games' highlights and cartoon versions of the on-field events drawn by Al Banx. (Of course, this was a long time ago as evidenced by ads for new cars priced at $2750.)
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 4, 2018 13:02:28 GMT -5
I framed a big part of that along with my game tickets. I gave it to HC football fundraising a few years back.
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Post by sader1970 on Jul 4, 2018 16:40:34 GMT -5
And, sad to say, because you '67ers wouldn't understand, but the '66 season was the high water mark for those of us who graduated in 1970. All downhill from there . . . . 6-3-1, to 5-5, to 3-6-1, to 0-2.
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 4, 2018 18:57:29 GMT -5
Why would we not understand? I followed HC after I graduated as did many (if not most) of my classmates.
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Post by jkh67 on Jul 4, 2018 20:04:32 GMT -5
The average of 7,200 is probably about right....Homecoming and Parent's Weekend games skew the average up somewhat. Both of those games draw (or sell tickets anyway) in the 10K+ ballpark (no pun intended) which offset some of the 2-4K clunkahs we've had in the recent past. Are there any plans for future night games at Fitton anytime soon? Imo, those have been the only non-HC or PW games that had any real buzz about them. Of course, back in the day a crowd of 7,200 would have been considered a low turnout. The diminished status of HC football was underlined for me by some recent discoveries inside a trunk that contained all sorts of items from my time at HC from 1963-67. These included two yellowing Worcester Telegram sports sections that provided coverage of HC's 7-6 victory over Dartmouth and 32-26 win over BC during the 1966 season. The front pages had big bold headlines accompanied by lengthy reports on the games, which continued in equal length on an inside page. There were also separate columns about the games' highlights and cartoon versions of the on-field events drawn by Al Banx. (Of course, this was a long time ago as evidenced by ads for new cars priced at $2750.) It is a long time ago. I...also a freshman in Beaven once upon a time...was at both those games. The BC tilt at Chestnut Hill is legendary due to the last minute Lentz to Kimener TD pass, but Dartmouth at Fitton earlier that year was also impressive. I believe the Bob Blackman coached Indians...er, Big Green...had the then longest winning streak in Division I and I know the game was played in a monsoon on a thoroughly miserable afternoon. I don't think I've ever been wetter. As with basketball, we need to draw upon our historical positives as a school that traditionally punched above its weight. Let's keep accentuating the many historical positives in both sports. It's in the schools DNA...or should be.
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Post by sader1970 on Jul 5, 2018 4:56:46 GMT -5
My point is the program appeared to be on the ascendency for you capped with a good rally nice 6-3-1 season your senior year. That was the best year my freshman year and descended each year thereafter with hepatitis in the anchor year.
But your numbers help make a point I have made in the past in that many with short memories portray Holy Cross football program as an athletic juggernaut like Notre Dame when reality is we were a good program and excelled only in those Carter/Duffner years and were the exception to the rule. Otherwise you have to go back to the 30’s and 40’s, even earlier than our great basketball teams.
Most years, a winning record was one we’d be happy with.
But good to know you all followed the team after graduation- I’d expect nothing less from what I consider one of the most stellar classes in HC history.😊
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Post by hc6774 on Jul 5, 2018 6:38:16 GMT -5
To put a little context to 60’s from Fr K’s book In ’65 the college self-reported football recruiting violations by one of its alumni clubs. In ’66 the president advised the athletic director to limit football scholarships to 20 for the incoming class; also to 6 for basketball & 2 for baseball. In the same year the President’s Club was initiated to attempt to stabilize the college financially.
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 5, 2018 7:09:38 GMT -5
And, as our erstwhile sports editor Rob implied we most certainly do understand. But then came the '80's, Carter and Duffner ... And, you know the rest of the story. Love HC "erstwhile"...I like it!
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Post by timholycross on Jul 5, 2018 9:31:08 GMT -5
My point is the program appeared to be on the ascendency for you capped with a good rally nice 6-3-1 season your senior year. That was the best year my freshman year and descended each year thereafter with hepatitis in the anchor year. But your numbers help make a point I have made in the past in that many with short memories portray Holy Cross football program as an athletic juggernaut like Notre Dame when reality is we were a good program and excelled only in those Carter/Duffner years and were the exception to the rule. Otherwise you have to go back to the 30’s and 40’s, even earlier than our great basketball teams. Most years, a winning record was one we’d be happy with. But good to know you all followed the team after graduation- I’d expect nothing less from what I consider one of the most stellar classes in HC history.😊 Consider this: if Holy Cross were a low level BCS school now (like they were during the era I am about to describe) and compiling the records they did in the second Anderson era, the College would have appeared in 10 or 11 bowl games! Not sure who that would make happy as the fan base would probably be clamoring for more. Even Sun Belt and MAC teams that finish .500 or better go to bowls usually.
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Post by jkh67 on Jul 5, 2018 10:02:18 GMT -5
sader1970 Check it out . The season records for the 4 years for my class of '67 were as follows: '63 2-6-1; '64 5-5; '65 2-7-1; '66 6-3-1. In those days most of us went to every home game and also we attended as many away games as we could get to. BC, Dartmouth, yep saw both as did most of my classmates.(Shoot, I near froze my butt off watching HC beat UConn in a nearly empty Fitton. Most were in the dorms watching ND vs. MSU in "the game of the century.") And many of us attended games for many years after graduation and suffered through those losses,too with an occasional win. (Yale at the Bowl in '67 or '68?) And, as our erstwhile sports editor Rob implied we most certainly do understand. But then came the '80's, Carter and Duffner ... And, you know the rest of the story. Love HC I was warm and comfy in a downtown apartment downing a few beers and watching "the game of the century" with a large group of classmates. That thing ended 10-10, with Parseghian playing for a tie toward the end. The author of this note is a good friend of mine who never misses an opportunity to remind all and sundry that he was one of the frozen Purple stalwarts in in Fitton on that memorable day. The few, the proud....
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 5, 2018 10:46:37 GMT -5
My link to that Dartmouth win in the driving rain was my quote in one of the Boston papers. I pointed out that when the BC quarterback was on the cover of the ECAC handbook, we upset them. For the 1966 season, the Dartmouth QB was featured on the cover and I predicted HC would beat them as well. It was nice to be right with published proof of the prediction.
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Post by sader1970 on Jul 5, 2018 12:08:54 GMT -5
That game was the wettest I had ever been to that point in my life. I was wetter than when I had been in the ocean or a pool. Fortunately, lived in Alumni and was able to run up to my room at halftime for a complete change of clothes . . . . . only to be just as wet in another 5-10 minutes.
Games like that help the spectators feel like they "participated" in the huge win and was a prime example of "Madden football."
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Post by beaven302 on Jul 5, 2018 12:16:48 GMT -5
I recall attending the chilly 1966 UConn game, which was the last chance to watch a home game as a student. It was a good day for Jack Lentz as HC dominated. The game did end in time to get back to the dorm in time to see Ara Parseghian tie one for the Gipper. Out of curiousity, I've checked the NY Times account of the game and it gave the size of the crowd as 5,000, which was quite low for that time. As for the disappointing 1967 season, I remember reading a pre-season column in the NY Times sports section that said the experienced Holy Cross team could be the "strongest in the East," adding that the only problem was replacing Jack Lentz (which turned out to be impossible).
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 5, 2018 12:20:41 GMT -5
It was indeed.
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