The Gophers sold 5,100 fewer football season tickets in 2016 than last year, according to figures provided by the University of Minnesota Athletic Department. Those are nonstudent season tickets and the decline represents about a 19 percent loss in purchases.
In 2015, the sale totaled 27,885 while this year it is 22,785.
The Gophers have played four of their seven-game home schedule so far and have no sellouts. Announced attendance for last Saturday’s rivalry game with Iowa was 49,145 and there were many seats sold but not used. That is the largest crowd of the season in 50,805 capacity TCF Bank Stadium. (Stadium capacity was reduced this year because the Vikings are no longer using the facility).
Minnesota is averaging 44,901 fans per game in announced attendance. Last year the Gophers averaged 52,355 fans per game—the best in seven seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. The 2015 schedule, with high profile football opponents like TCU and Michigan, was more attractive than this fall’s teams. Other factors impacting ticket sales and attendance this year includes price increases in season tickets, lack of excitement about the 2016 team after a disappointing 6-7 record in 2015, and the loss of popular head coach Jerry Kill who resigned last October.
The 2016 total for student season football tickets is 7,006—after a sale of about 8,000 last year. “I think it’s worth noting that this year’s student sections have been quite full and quite energetic, with single-game student ticket purchases supplementing the season ticket base,” an athletic department spokesman wrote via email. “We sold out the student section for the Iowa game and have seen strong student support throughout the nonconference season as well, with good attendance.” …
Jim Carter and other advocates for Gophers football want to see the University Board of Regents approve a resource at their meetings later this week that was originally part of the Athletes Village project. Last year plans were dropped for an area called the lineman center, or also referred to as the lineman facility. This was to be part of the new indoor football practice facility in the Athletes Village but the lineman center was eliminated from plans to save money.
Upgrading football resources at the U to be equal, or better than Big Ten competitors, is a priority of the $166 million Athletes Village project that is still in early physical development. The village will also create new and upgraded facilities to benefit all Gophers men’s and women’s programs.
Carter said the lineman center would likely take up about 40,000 square feet of additional space in the football practice facility. Without the center, according to Carter, offensive and defensive linemen won’t have a large enough place indoors dedicated to improving their skills—a space big enough to accommodate not only the players but also practice equipment including blocking sleds.
Carter was a star fullback on the 1967 Gophers football team that won the school’s last Big Ten championship. He is an outspoken proponent for excellence in athletics and academics at Minnesota. He wants to see all the potential resources for football made a reality in the Athletes Village project. Gophers coach Tracy Claeys has stressed the importance of the lineman center to Carter and others.
Carter sent out an email last week asking for help in contacting members of the Board of Regents—writing that the lineman center will greatly improve the Gophers’ competitiveness. “Tracy has said a number of times that he wants and needs this facility,” Carter said in the email. “The Board of Regents can make the decision to add/include the funding for this project, but we need to let them know we strongly support this happening. Time is of the essence, so we need to be heard now! If we all contact the Board of Regents we will make a BIG difference!”
Carter said more than 20 emails have been sent to regents, and he expects that the lineman center may come up as new business on the agenda for the regents who will have meetings tomorrow and Friday. The indoor football facility, including the lineman center space, would likely be used at certain times by sports other than football, and is projected to have a cost of $6 million, according to Carter.
The overall cost for the Athletes Village is currently at $166 million and Carter sees the $6 million for the center as a minimal price to do things right. It also looks for certain that the $166 million total will be revised upward soon—likely this week.
The regents are expected to vote this week and will likely approve a final plan to place the Gophers track near baseball’s Siebert Field. That means relocating the recreation sports bubble and rec softball field to an area near TCF Bank Stadium. Carter said the track and relocations referenced will cost $19 million.
Carter said last year’s cost cutting for the Athletes Village included not only the lineman’s center but also eliminating two skyways for $2.5 million. Carter believes those skyways could be put back into play, too. If so, the projected cost for the Athletes Village could soon be revised to $193.5 million.
About $80 million has been secured through fundraising for the Athletes Village, with the University committed to borrowing a significant sum to fully finance the project. …
Through his first four games as the Eagles quarterback last season, Sam Bradford saw his team lose three times. He threw six touchdown passes and four interceptions, with passer ratings in the four games of 77.1, 65.6, 73.2 and 122.6.
With the 5-0 Vikings (Bradford didn’t become the starting quarterback until game No. 2), he has thrown six touchdown passes, zero interceptions and compiled passer ratings of 121.2, 93, 101.9 and 122.1. His overall rating is 109.7 for the season, compared with 84.6 a year ago.
Bradford didn’t join the Vikings until several days before the opening regular season game. “I think the offensive coaches have done a great job with getting him prepared,” said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. “The one thing about Sam is that he will communicate the things that he likes to do, and if we have a play in the game plan that he doesn’t like, he’s going to say it. He’s going to tell Norv (Turner, offensive coordinator), and we get rid of the play. So, we try to do things that he’s comfortable with, even though it has been a short period of time.”
The Vikings Andrew Sendejo continues to establish himself as the team’s starting free safety. Against the Texans last Sunday he had four tackles and one interception while playing defense, and two tackles on special teams.
“Before (Sendejo) was even playing much defense, he was our best special teams guy,” said Vikings strong safety Harrison Smith. “He has done nothing but make plays on special teams and defense since I’ve been here (2012). That’s what I know you’re getting out of Sendejo—a guy who going to make plays.”
The much publicized AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas has retracted its roof 17 times for Cowboys games since the facility opened in 2009, according to a pro football source. By contrast, the five pivoting doors at U.S. Bank Stadium have been open for three regular season games and one preseason game since the Vikings began playing there in August.
The same source said as of last week he isn’t aware of any bird-window collisions at the new stadium. The Minnesota Sports Facility Authority announced in July a scientific study to monitor such collisions will be led by Audubon Minnesota, the National Audubon Society, the University of Minnesota and Oklahoma State University. The study will begin in the spring of 2017, with analysis to be released in 2019.
The Big Ten Network will televise the news conferences of all 14 Big Ten basketball coaches tomorrow including the Gophers Richard Pitino who answers questions from the media from 8:10 to 8:20 a.m. Pitino will also be interviewed on BTN by studio hosts from 11:40 a.m. to noon. The league’s coaches will be in Washington, D.C. for Big Ten Basketball Media Day.
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