UNM Football Ticket Sales
Fans are
excited and optimistic about 2012 the Lobo football program. Almost 29,000 fans came to support Bob Davie
and his new program. The Lobos played against the Southern University Jaguars
of Baton Rouge, La. For the Lobos to
win 66-21, it was a feel good win against a team that we should not have
expected anything less from.
The Lobos
have had a rough last three years both on and off the field. On the field they have only won one game in
each of the last three seasons with an overall record of 3-33. Off the field Lobo ticket sales declined and
very few fans were coming to support their team.
Since the
firing of Coach Mike Locksley, there has been a new buzz in the air in the
cherry and silver Lobo community. After
the hiring of an ex Notre Dame head football coach and ESPN college football
analyst, Bob Davie has given UNM fans a
sense of hope for the future.
Since Davie’s
hiring, UNM ticket sales have been on the rise.
There have been 11,198 season tickets sold for the 2012 season and that
number “could be increasing”, said UNM’s director of ticketing services Mark
Koson. “It depends on how the team does,
if we beat Tech or New Mexico State more people will start purchasing tickets to
see their Lobos play,” Koson said.
University Stadium holds 39,224 people
and the record attendance is 44,760 against New Mexico State. in 2005. The University of New Mexico Lobos averaged 20,888 fans per game in 2010, coming in seventh in the
nine-team Mountain West Conference. Last year in 2011, the Lobos average
attendance was at 16,459, which was second to last beating Wyoming University.
If the Lobos win four games this year
it would be a huge improvement compared to the last three years. Once the football team can start stringing
together some wins and get this state and city behind them, the program will be
back where it wants to be.
Fans here in
Albuquerque love the Lobos, and with the recent success of UNM basketball,
soccer, and baseball fans just hate seeing the football program in such a deep hole. It’s not all going to happen in a year. “This
is going to take some time”, said long time Lobo fan Rick Chavez, “at least we
are improving and not declining.”
UNM and the
City of Albuquerque needs the football program to be competitive, because there
is a lot of money that goes into the UNM football program. If the football program is not selling enough
tickets and people are not coming to the games, then UNM will be losing money
that they cannot afford to lose.
Lobo fans
are very anxious to see their Lobos being successful. The fall is a great time of year and what is
fall without football? “I plan on coming
to all the games,” said Lobo student Marco Grecko “this is my senior year and I
have faith in my Lobos to turn it around.”
Fans gather under the tree to get some shade on a hot
Saturday afternoon at University Stadium on September 1st.
Lobo fans packed the stadium for their opening game against
the Southern University Jaguars nearing almost 29,000 fans.
