Taking Attendance September 20, 2012
I feel like I have a pretty good finger on the pulse of Illini football. From July to December, it’s all I think about. I’ve memorized the roster. I could give you a solid two-deep from the 2007 Rose Bowl team off the top of my head. I could list all 81 scholarship players without cheating. I know that we only have 81 players on scholarship at the moment.
This does not make me great or impressive or anything of the sort. It’s a bit sad, actually. There’s hunger in the world, and I can tell you that Zeph Grimes switched from #15 to #33 so he could play on kickoff return with Darius Millines. Wow, I’m actually going to depress myself.
Because of this, I feel like I understand Illini football fans more than most. I’m at every game. I go to Rantoul. I attend spring practices and the spring game. And I interact with fans and message board peeps and parents of players and Twitter people and EVENT STAFF. All of it gives me a pretty good understanding of the current mindset of the Illini Football Fan.
So when I read this…
Illinois attendance: We understand that the opener was played in poor weather conditions, and last week’s opponent (Charleston Southern) wouldn’t get anybody excited. Yet the Illini are officially averaging just over 44,000 fans in their two home games, which is below such football factories as Indiana and Kansas. Reports say that actual attendance last week was closer to 30,000. No weather or opponent factors would create those types of poor numbers at football-crazy schools across the Big Ten or the country. Is Louisiana Tech enough to get the Illinois faithful invested this week?
…I feel like I’m qualified to tell you why.
(And yes, it’s true – Indiana has outdrawn Illinois this year. They played Indiana State and Ball State, we played Western Michigan and Charleston Southern. Oh, and they were 1-11 last year while we’re coming off a bowl win.)
So why can’t we draw? Let’s go back.
27 consecutive sellouts in the 80′s during Mike White leading into the John Mackovic era. Capacity was 72,000 at that time, and Memorial Stadium was bursting at the seams. Mackovic brought us to the level of five consecutive bowls (1988 through 1992), with the last one being the first year of the Lou Tepper era. I can remember the Houston game in September of 1991. I skipped out on my student tickets so I could sit with my mom, dad, and sister. And the best seats I could find were second to last row of the west balcony. Memorial Stadium was buzzing with our epic beatdown of Houston (was it 51-3? too lazy to research).
1993 was our first bowl-less season in a while, and the crowds were a bit restless, but 1994 was better, with a rock-solid defense and an eventual shutout of East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl. I don’t have any attendance numbers in front of me, but crowds remained strong into the 1995 season (no bowl) and 1996 (disaster). By 1997 they were starting to leave, and 1998 I remember as a lowpoint (although I did get to rush the field when we broke the 18 game losing streak).
Once 1999 started strong, crowds began to come back a bit, and by the end of that season, excitement filled Memorial Stadium again. The 2000 Michigan game remains one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever seen inside that stadium – two ranked teams on national TV at night in Champaign. That’s all I have to say about that game.
Crowds were hesitant to return in 2001, but that fell away quickly. I want to say we sold 19,000 tickets the week of the Penn State game to sell the game out. And we took a big crowd with us to the Sugar Bowl. 2002 saw a surge of fans and a dearth of wins. And by 2003, the fans were beginning to think they were fooled again. Bought in back in 1994, stubbed toe in 1995. Bought in after 2001, stubbed toe in 2002. When that got worse in 2003, the fans left.
Recruiting brought them back once Ron Zook took over. 2006 was a frustrating 2-10 season, but ticket sales pushed higher for 2007, mostly because in the fall of 2006, Martez Wilson and Arrelious Benn signed on. And with construction closing the west balcony and a capacity of around 55,000, we sold out four of our six games in 2007 en route to the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl.
As Rose Bowls do, the fans returned in droves. I want to say season ticket sales jumped to around 44,000 for 2008. Ranked preseason, new stadium, throwbacks for the opener – Illini football is BACK. Back to disappointing 5-win seasons after bowl games. 5-7, and the fans had one single thought on their minds: were we duped AGAIN?
Never fear, 2008 was an aberration. The talent is here, and now it’s matured. If 2007 was 1999 and 2008 was 2000, 2009 was going to be 2001. A senior-laden team uses their experience to win the Big Ten and make some noise in a BCS bowl. Look out, world, here come the Illini.
3-9
That, right there, destroyed this fanbase. Destroyed. Bought in after 1994, were duped. Bought in after 2001, were duped. Bought in one last time after 2007 and hung on through 2009… duped. On a biblical scale.
What you’re seeing now is simply the radiation still emanating from the 2009 meltdown. I said to a friend after we lost to Fresno State but Zook was retained that it would be five years before the fans would return. Fool me once was 1995. Fool me twice was 2002. ARE YOU KIDDIN’ ME? was 2008/09.
To add insult to injury, we won a bowl in 2010 and then started 6-0 in 2011. Fans didn’t really start to come back (as we learned with the boos in the first quarter against Ohio State), but people started to pay attention again. And then six. devastating. losses. in. a. row. As each fan turned of their television in disgust during the Minnesota game last November (seriously, nobody could have watched that whole thing), they also swore off Illini games for years. Yes, we won our bowl game. Yes, for me, it was my favorite four days of Illini football ever. But the vast majority of Illini football fans had sworn off Memorial Stadium for a minimum of three years. Probably five.
So what has happened with Illini attendance? We’ve been cheated on. Three times. Maybe more, but we can’t prove it. And the first two times, against our better judgement, we took her back. This third time, we’re gone for good.
Well, not we. But you get my point. The Illini could go to the Big Ten Championship game in December and still see 44,000 for the opener in 2013. Until we prove that we can sustain success, the fans will remain forever skeptical.
Thankfully, we have an AD who understands that. And a head coach who has spent every year of his adult life compiling a manual on how to build a BCS football program. He’s three games into the implementation, and it will take time. But the hope is that by years 3, 4, and 5, you begin to see a growing, vibrant, football program.
Do that, and the fans will return. For good.
Great, great explanation Robert. I have been watching Illinois football since 1967 and it really can be a painful experience at times, or at least disappointing. For the record, not that it matters, I did NOT turn the TV off during Zook’s last game vs. MN because the TV was NOT on. Why? I was at the game with my family sitting in the drizzle and cold and watched it until the final gun. Now, that was one disappointing loss. Zook had lost the team and it showed and Illinois really had the better collection of talent.
Tim has to win some games and consistently get to bowls to revive Illinois football. Illinois football is not on life support yet, but it does make one wonder if you should ask if the patient is still in critical care?
Robert, two other factors to take into consideration are the fact that all games are now televised, somewhere. The BTN is a financial boon to the schools, but it certainly impacts attendance. Since the majority of our fan lives two hours away, it becomes much easier to watch on tv than to trek to the stadium. The 11 am starts kill, as well. Both of IU’s home games started at 8 pm ET. Anyway, just my 2 cents. Love your writing. Keep up the good work!
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Robert, do you see the loss of the Chief as a factor at all? I feel like it affected our identity and part of the pageantry of the football (halftime) experience. It was one of my favorite things when I attended games as a kid.
@DouglasCounty-
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I think it certainly has affected the Fickle Five. Here’s the average attendance at those five schools for their first two home games:
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Minnesota – 45,971
Indiana – 45,034
Illinois – 44,405
Purdue – 40,394
Northwestern – 32,120
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I think those five schools are fully affected by the apathy of “you know, I can save money and just watch this in HD on my couch”. The other seven Big Ten schools – you HAVE to be at the game.
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I want us to HAVE to be at the game.
You hit the nail on the head.
Even the glorious 80s had their share of nut punches. The ’84 Rose Bowl team featured a bunch of sophomores at the core, yet the promise of future success instead saw a season of probation, followed by that core’s senior year fraught with underachievement, ending with a loss to Army in the Peach Bowl. Then more probation and finally White’s dismissal.
1. A factor in connection with ticket sales increasing the season the Illini last went to the Rose Bowl is that is the year the Horseshoe season ticket sale promotion started.
2. “Judgment,” not “judgement”…sorry, it’s a lawyer thing….
3. Otherwise, spot on analysis.
4. Beckman needs a signature road win this year to start the process of turning attendance around since the performance at ASU certainly did not help matters.
In my opinion, it HAS to begin with winning the students back. If they’re not coming as students they’re exponentially less likely to attend as alumni. I was at the game last Saturday…my first one in a LONG time due to my sons’ JFL schedule…and it FELT like there were at least 40 thousand there. As to the 11 am starts, I am not sure how IU-indy state rated a 7 pm BTN slot over 2011 bowl teams Illinois and WMU. This week will be a litmus of sorts for the beloved. 7 pm start vs. an exciting, undefeated opponent. Here’s hoping 50k turn the styles. and that we put a smackdown on ‘em.
To think how much NFL talent was on that team in 2009 is almost a sin to think we won 3 games that year. What a waste. We have to wait at least 2-3 years before we have talent on the roster again
Spot on analysis. The situation is not hopeless, but the patient (fan base) has been so traumatized by years of experience that it will take some time. Even last year, at 6-0, one of the espn.com writers penned a story ranking teams/coaches on some type of Zook based scale. You just had a feeling something wasn’t all that right.
Other commenters above have covered a host of reasons that also affect attendance, and they all make sense. The product has to be a good one to justify the time, money, etc. with so many other options available.
Just as an aside, I noted that a quick 5 minute viewing of the Florida State game last week revealed a ton of empty seats…and they were #5 in the country at the time.
Great analysis. I really enjoy the posts I was also there as a student to rush the field after beating Middle Tenn St in 1998. As for the 2000 Muck Fichigan game, it’s still the best football game atmosphere I’ve ever been around and the second best sporting event I’ve ever attended- (second to Illini vs. Arizona elite 8). If only it weren’t for the botched fumble calls…
Well done, Robert. The only thing I’d add for the benefit of lurking administrators is that all-important word “expectations”. Fans who follow closely (and buy season tickets), understand that games can go either way, but find it very difficult to watch talent underperform their potential year after year. That’s what happened under Zook, and it was a bitter pill, every stinkin’ time.
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In the past ten years our best seasons took most observers almost completely by surprise. As did the ensuing collapse. But the underperformance was with everyone watching, wheras the good years didn’t benefit from the pre-season build-up that respected teams get. Thus, underperforming expectations did a lot more damage that what was gained from over-performing expectations. Especially when it turned into a habit.
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Like most readers here, I REALLY REALLY want to be able to have confidence in our teams. Beckman’s challenge is to re-earn my (our) confidence by performing to whatever expectations are set by the talent on the roster. And my learned-cynicism means I’m not going to take anybody’s word for it…I need to see respectability consistently displayed on the field. Frankly, I don’t think I’m being unreasonable in demanding that after all the heartache I’ve been through.
I will be in attendance Saturday, along with 12 friends. We are doing our part.
Although this article certainly has merit, there aren’t many better places to be on a fall Saturday than at Memorial Stadium.
I attended arguably the two best football atmosphere games in the last 20 years…both brutal gut wrenching losses….2000 Michigan and 1994 Penn State…It is do-able for Illinois to get that feeling of expectation/tradition back…but its going to take alot..I agree with Robert.
I also think times are just different now..and its much more difficult to establish traditions. I blame the internet, texting, etc etc….college sports (for those teams that have little tradition) just arent “the thing” to do anymore…these college kids today are too comfortable staying in their nice apts and texting…I live in Champaign..the gameday atmosphere is pretty much nil…and its definitely because the students just arent into it.
Also – the great thing about the Michigan game was not only the electric night time atmosphere, but also Michigan brought their entire band. It was a warm comfortable evening (way better than the Penn State game where I froze in the balcony)..When I think of the “event” that college football should be…thats what it was. Really seemed like Illinois was on the verge of breaking thru if they had won that game.
I really think Memorial Stadium should sell alcohol…not that I want a bunch of drunks at the game…but to get it a bit more “juice”…that would surely help.
I also believe the bad basketball program has hurt football attendance…especially with students..Orange Krush has dropped in numbers severely over the last several years…and you know those same kids would be going to football games together, but now they arent. When basketball is down…it drags down football too IMO.
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You could also argue that as Illinois has gotten harder to get into academically, the fan base has changed (I know I’ll probably take heat for this). I probably wouldn’t get into that school now based on the HS grades I had. And the guy who would take my place nowadays- I don’t know, he might be more into school and hitting the library on Saturday than going to the game (and looking forward to it) like I did.
I’m with Joe John on those 2 games – I was at both 2000 Michigan and 1994 Penn State. Both were there for the taking. We gave one away and the officials took one. I haven’t seen an environment that rivals either of those at UI.
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Student enthusiasm definitely goes a long way to amping the environment. They will come out if it’s fun, and frankly Illinois football hasn’t been fun for a while. I was in school in ’94 and at that time a good portion of the east balcony was full of fraternity and sorority blocks. We’d have tents with booze before the games. We had guys buy tickets and go simply because it was a good time, not b/c they were big football fans. I think the change in the university’s stance toward the drinking culture doesn’t help. Where are all the tents these days? I’m not sure what you do about that though…
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My personal gauge of success is when I see coeds in the front row of the student section wearing cut-off shorts, bikini tops, and cowboy hats, I know Illinois will have arrived.
On the subject of atmosphere, Michigan 1983 has never been surpassed. Mike White had his detractors, and that team laid an egg at Pasadena, but excitement and involvement were at an all-time high. We had two full official fan charters out of Willard to LAX, and numerous other tours that filled our allotment and then some. Illinois was attractive to the bowls in those days, even traveling well to the Peach Bowl of all things.
So what changed? In a word – an administration that treated Joe Fan like crap and an AD who was clueless on hiring for the major programs.
Can it be fixed? Let’s hope so.
The administration still treats Joe Fan like crap as does the N-G. Guenther was their poster child and we went along with it year after year. Mike Thomas is getting it big time IMO and lets see if he will break the admin walls down. It will take 1-2 more years at least to rebuild trust with fans who aren’t in suites and clubs.