McAndrew Stadium is ready. It is ready with new lights, scrubbed seats, a freshly laid turf and an enthusiastic football team.
August 28, 2002
McAndrew Stadium is waiting. It waits for Thursday night, when the Salukis will march onto the field and play their first night game since 1973.
McAndrew Stadium has a capacity of 17,324. Last season the average attendance was 6,177. It is time for Saluki fans to visit McAndrew.
Last year Tom Koutsos broke the school rushing record. This season he is again in the spotlight as one of 16 players on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award.
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Freshman Joel Sambursky has been named starting quarterback and is looking to have a good season.
Spectators will also see junior Eric Egan have a breakout season as linebacker.
The team as a whole is going to be better than before and is expected to secure a few wins.
This year the team will play seven home games, and it will be great to not only see them out on the field, but also to see the stands filled with screaming fans cheering them on.
Over the past three years, the average attendance has been less than half of that. What can be done to get more fan support at games?
All of these factors should bring Saluki fans running, and not just for one game.
Winning and fan support go hand in hand. The more fans in attendance, the more hyped the players get and the harder they work.
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Attendance should be based on the love of the game and a wanting to support student-athletes who work hard. There are some die-hard Saluki football fans who attend every game no matter what the outcome may be. Hopefully this year the number of fans will be higher and will keep rising as the season progresses.
Let’s take some of their enthusiasm, put on our maroon and white and help root the team on.
It’s time to have faith in our team and stop downing them for not winning.
If they happen to lose a game, don’t only remember it as a loss. Remember how many yards the running back rushed for. Or how many tackles the linebacker made.
The first game of the season is on Thursday, so after all classes are over and most people are off of work for the evening, lets show the Salukis some love.
Because McAndrew is ready and waiting.
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