Student sections are an integral part of college athletics.
ASU may be the largest university in the country, but in recent years the student section at football games has been less than packed.
Since 2008, the Sun Devils have had an average attendance of less than 50,000 people at each of their home games.
In 2010, the team ranked No. 47 in the country for attendance.
However, that all seemed to change when 70,236 people packed Sun Devil Stadium to watch ASU defeat Missouri 37-30 in overtime.
“The atmosphere was incredible,” said Nate McWhortor, social media intern for ASU’s Gameday Initiative. “We haven’t seen that since Georgia in 2008. It was awesome to see everyone in black. The students were really into it. They stayed the entire game. The euphoria, the excitement and getting everybody really into the game and not just sitting on their smartphones the entire time is really awesome to see here at ASU.”
Not only did the Missouri game almost sell out the 71,706-seat stadium, but the 12,305 student tickets sold were the most in ASU history as well. ASU students also set an attendance record as 10,063 students went to the game.
“Our students were awesome,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “I went over and yelled at them for a little bit at the end of the game. They were special. I just want to thank them.”
The football players also noticed the crowd and were appreciative of their efforts.
“We just want to thank the student section, the fans for coming out in all black, supporting us, being there hours before the game,” junior quarterback Brock Osweiler said. “They were truly the x-factor in that game and we can’t thank them enough. It was a lot of fun and it was a great experience.”
In addition to players and coaches, the students themselves noticed the near sellout and its impact on the game.
“It was how a college football game should be,” public service junior Marcus Jones said. “The fact that the stadium was full just made it that much better.”
International business communications junior Quinn Allen-Wardell had something similar to say about his time in the student section.
“To look across from the student section and see the entire stadium full, I think that fueled a lot of the students,” Allen-Wardell said. “It was unlike any other game I’ve been to. It was an atmosphere I have never really seen. It was deafening. It was something special.”
While the attention centered on the game, the atmosphere and electricity was felt throughout Tempe all day, more than 12 hours before kickoff.
“We had people in line first thing in the morning,” Associate Athletic Director Bill Kennedy said. “We had people in line by 7:30 in the morning.”
It is unclear whether the crowd was a result of the black uniforms, a talented Sun Devil football team or the national TV broadcast, but Kennedy believes it was a combination.
“You had a good opponent, you had a great theme and you have a team that everybody thinks is going to do great things,” Kennedy said. “When those three come together ... I think you saw (that) in terms of the students.”
The Sun Devils have struggled to fill the stadium in recent years, but Sun Devil Stadium does have a rich history of fan participation as a school record 74,963 fans witnessed ASU host the California Golden Bears in 1996.
ASU has led the Pac-10 in average per game attendance seven times, but the most recent came in 1986.
In 2007, over 500,000 fans walked through the turnstiles, something ASU hopes to repeat as they feel attendance for the Missouri game was not a one-time event.
“It’s definitely not a one-time thing,” McWhortor said. “This atmosphere will continue. We’re expecting 10,000 (students) again for USC. The rest of the season we are expecting to have that 10,000 plus number and hoping we get all 12,000 students that bought tickets to be there.”
While it is yet to be seen if the attendance increase will continue, the athletic department has hinted that the all black uniforms will make an encore appearance.
“Anytime ASU breaks out those black jerseys it’s probably going to be a little more intense in the stands,” Allen-Wardell said.
Attendance may appear to be about dollar signs and making the stadium look good on television, but to those who dig a bit deeper, it is about something much bigger.
“This is about the spirit, pride and tradition that the students have in ASU,” Kennedy said.
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
