What current FCS school has the longest tenure without a home sellout?

[Sader87]

Tying together the weekly attendance thread and the upcoming NDSU-SDSU impending sellout/ESPN Gameday hoopla, I'm curious who may have this dubious distinction. For these purposes, schools that have never had a sell-out are excluded. Only schools that are playing in their current stadia are allowed for this query as well. My hunch is that it's one of the Ancient VIII.

Holy Cross' last sellout was in November 1986 vs. Boston College....going on 33 years.

[Go Green]

Tying together the weekly attendance thread and the upcoming NDSU-SDSU impending sellout/ESPN Gameday hoopla, I'm curious who may have this dubious distinction. For these purposes, schools that have never had a sell-out are excluded. Only schools that are playing in their current stadia are allowed for this query as well. My hunch is that it's one of the Ancient VIII.

Holy Cross' last sellout was in November 1986 vs. Boston College....going on 33 years.

I'm going to guess Penn for the Ivy. Brown would be my second choice.

Harvard and Yale have sold out The Game in the not-too-distant past. Princeton got at least one sellout when it opened its new Stadium in 1998. The others got some sellouts on homecomings.

I'll pose the question on the Ivy Board to see if some old-timers can confirm this.

[Sycamore62]

I have to think there are schools who have never had a sellout

[Sader87]

I have to think there are schools who have never had a sellout

As stated in my original post, only those schools that have had both a sellout and are still playing in that same stadium are eligible.

ETA: I'm also curious how long it's been since a sellout at other schools, even if it hasn't been for decades and decades....thanks.

[Sycamore62]

we had 18293 in 1980, Our wikipedia page says 20,500 was the capacity then, I dont think that is correct. It was closer to 18k than 20k otherwise we would have gone D1A not D1AA during the split.

[ST_Lawson]

At WIU, attendance can be a pretty difficult thing to nail down.

1. Our stadium technically is listed at 16,368 seats. I think that might be the case if you squished everyone only into the seats (and it would be a squish). Thing is, we have hillsides around the stadium where people often sit rather than in the stands, so we've had higher than our listed capacity before.

2. We had an athletics director for a while who was kinda notorious for "exaggerating" attendance figures. During his tenure, we were listed as averaging over 10k per game 7 years in a row, including what was listed as our #2 highest attended game ever...a 2003 matchup with Southern Illinois with a listed 19,287. I was at that game...I remember that game. It was a very nice crowd for WIU. Was it a sellout crowd?....eh....maybe. Was it over 19k people?...not a chance. Only time I've ever seen that many people at Hanson Field was a scrimmage between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears.

Our actual record crowd of 19,850 at a game in 1973 is quite possibly pretty accurate. From what I've heard from people who were there, that was pretty much the only thing on a Saturday in the area, and it was pretty much our "peak" of total school enrollment around 15,000 (lots of vets using the GI bill to go to school following Vietnam). Plus no cable TV or internet. All of the more recent of our single-game attendance "top 10" were during the era of that specific AD, so I doubt any of those were anywhere near actual capacity.

Based on that information, I think our last true sellout was probably in 1976 against Eastern Illinois, when a listed 16,808 people showed up.

Considering we're down to ~7.6k total enrollment and have been averaging under 4k fans at home games since 2017, I don't see us filling the stadium any time in the foreseeable future.

For more info, page #2 of our record book/guide lists all the details: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/goleathernecks.com/documents/2019/6/27/2019FBRecords.pdf

[Sader87]

we had 18293 in 1980, Our wikipedia page says 20,500 was the capacity then, I dont think that is correct. It was closer to 18k than 20k otherwise we would have gone D1A not D1AA during the split.

Pretty sure the 1-A criteria then was a 30K stadium and 17K attendance average.

That's pretty close though....I'll give the Sycamore the lead for now at 1980.

ETA: WIU sneaks in the lead as I posted

[bulldog10jw]

I think Yale's last actual sellout was 1983. That was the last 70k crowd. A sellout now would be 61k since refurbishing.

The crowd for the Ice Bowl in 1987 was 66k, I think, but there were empty seats....okay empty benches

[katss07]

Pretty sure last one at SHSU was 2011 semifinal against Montana. 12k plus, so more people than seats. The listed capacity is higher because of the surrounding hills.

[Milktruck74]

Mocs had about 20k in the first game in Finley on October 18 1997.....with 20,500 seats it wasn't a sell out and less since that day....so there is that.

[JayJ79]

As stated in my original post, only those schools that have had both a sellout and are still playing in that same stadium are eligible.

ETA: I'm also curious how long it's been since a sellout at other schools, even if it hasn't been for decades and decades....thanks.

that's called manipulating the parameters to achieve a specific result that you are looking for.
a pretty lame way to using statistics, IMO.

"never" is the longest tenure without a home sellout.

[Derby City Duke]

Furman?

[Ivytalk]

I'm going to guess Penn for the Ivy. Brown would be my second choice.

Harvard and Yale have sold out The Game in the not-too-distant past. Princeton got at least one sellout when it opened its new Stadium in 1998. The others got some sellouts on homecomings.

I'll pose the question on the Ivy Board to see if some old-timers can confirm this.
The Game has sold out recently at Harvard, where capacity is now barely 30k. I’ll defer to bulldog on the Yale info. Was the ‘18 Fenway Game officially a sellout? Looked like there were some empty seats.

When was Dartmouth’s last sellout?

[rtzlunar]

Mocs had about 20k in the first game in Finley on October 18 1997.....with 20,500 seats it wasn't a sell out and less since that day....so there is that.

Official attendance listed as 22,646 for that game in Finley according to Wikipedia. The first and last time. Doubt we’ll ever be above 15K again. Our fans are so *****in lame. The next week we drew 6,500. We call Finley “the morgue”.

[kdinva]

VMI (10,000) was sold out for USNA in 1973, and a couple in the 90's when Marshall came to Lex. (Herd fans made up about 2500 both times). 3 or 4 games with The Citadel had approx. 9200 - 9500

[Sitting Bull]

For W&M, there have been 15 official sellouts since 2000. Eight of those games were against JMU. Two years had three sellouts, 2010 (Villanova, Delaware, UR) and 2011 (JMU, Towson, ODU).

The last sellout was technically Saturday with 11,821 with a listed capacity of 11,666, this for Homecoming against JMU.

Given the new set-up at W&M with suites, the Tribe Tavern in the end zone, etc. - this has been since the 2016 renovation - I'm not sure if they continue selling GA tickets above the seating capacity. I have a feeling they do now.

In the CAA, you are required to provide 1,000 tickets for the visiting team to sell. In our case, JMU and occasionally, Delaware and UR, will sell the full allotment. What makes it difficult for a real CAA sellout, you have to quickly sell however any tickets the visiting team returns. That doesn't happen until a week before the game - so you need legitimate demand to hit an in-conference sellout.

One caveat, UR since moving into their smaller on campus stadium, has been reporting false sellouts for the past 8 years by just giving away tickets to local youth groups on tickets unsold, particularly from the visiting teams 1,000 allotment. It's why you see so many empty sections and seats at UR games that they call "sellouts".

[NY Crusader 2010]

I would guess that no Ivy League team outside of Harvard or Yale has had a sellout in at least 20 years. Someone mentioned Princeton sold out their new stadium's opener in 1998 so I would guess the answer to that question goes back into the mid-80's at least for Penn, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth and Cornell.

I would be shocked if Bucknell has ever had a sellout.

Drake has definitely not had a sellout since the last time they hosted Iowa or Iowa State generations ago, if ever.

Richmond was mentioned in a prior post. While they've obviously sold out their cozy on-campus stadium multiple times since opening (some of which are not REALLY sell-outs), did they ever sell out City Stadium all those years playing there? Capacity was definitely at least double their current venue.

Portland State plays in a AAA ballpark. They probably have a difficult time selling out.

Since this thread was started by everyone's Holy Cross poster, I will predict that we will never sell out Fitton Field for the remainder of it's lifetime unless the end zone seats are completely torn town in favor of locker rooms or a football building. There is no scenario (minus BC agreeing to come to town for some kind of ceremonial meeting) that would put 23,000 people in the stands.

[Grizalltheway]

I would guess that no Ivy League team outside of Harvard or Yale has had a sellout in at least 20 years. Someone mentioned Princeton sold out their new stadium's opener in 1998 so I would guess the answer to that question goes back into the mid-80's at least for Penn, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth and Cornell.

I would be shocked if Bucknell has ever had a sellout.

Drake has definitely not had a sellout since the last time they hosted Iowa or Iowa State generations ago, if ever.

Richmond was mentioned in a prior post. While they've obviously sold out their cozy on-campus stadium multiple times since opening (some of which are not REALLY sell-outs), did they ever sell out City Stadium all those years playing there? Capacity was definitely at least double their current venue.

Portland State plays in a AAA ballpark. They probably have a difficult time selling out.

Since this thread was started by everyone's Holy Cross poster, I will predict that we will never sell out Fitton Field for the remainder of it's lifetime unless the end zone seats are completely torn town in favor of locker rooms or a football building. There is no scenario (minus BC agreeing to come to town for some kind of ceremonial meeting) that would put 23,000 people in the stands.
It's an MLS stadium now, and they actually got the boot from there and are playing in a suburban high school stadium...

[mvfcfan]

I don't think Tennessee State has sold out Nissan Stadium for a while. xlolx

[grayghost06]

For W&M, there have been 15 official sellouts since 2000. Eight of those games were against JMU. Two years had three sellouts, 2010 (Villanova, Delaware, UR) and 2011 (JMU, Towson, ODU).

The last sellout was technically Saturday with 11,821 with a listed capacity of 11,666, this for Homecoming against JMU.

Given the new set-up at W&M with suites, the Tribe Tavern in the end zone, etc. - this has been since the 2016 renovation - I'm not sure if they continue selling GA tickets above the seating capacity. I have a feeling they do now.

In the CAA, you are required to provide 1,000 tickets for the visiting team to sell. In our case, JMU and occasionally, Delaware and UR, will sell the full allotment. What makes it difficult for a real CAA sellout, you have to quickly sell however any tickets the visiting team returns. That doesn't happen until a week before the game - so you need legitimate demand to hit an in-conference sellout.

One caveat, UR since moving into their smaller on campus stadium, has been reporting false sellouts for the past 8 years by just giving away tickets to local youth groups on tickets unsold, particularly from the visiting teams 1,000 allotment. It's why you see so many empty sections and seats at UR games that they call "sellouts".

For the 1st 40 years of my life, Cary Field/Zable Stadium was listed at 15k capacity. I realize that included the endzones, one of which is no longer there. Still, you guys built that nice upper deck addition. How did you drop to an official capacity of 11.6? ADA accomodations? Are the suites sitting where the top rows used to be? Seats instead of bleachers?

[PAllen]

Bucknell?

[JMUNJ08]

For W&M, there have been 15 official sellouts since 2000. Eight of those games were against JMU. Two years had three sellouts, 2010 (Villanova, Delaware, UR) and 2011 (JMU, Towson, ODU).

The last sellout was technically Saturday with 11,821 with a listed capacity of 11,666, this for Homecoming against JMU.

Given the new set-up at W&M with suites, the Tribe Tavern in the end zone, etc. - this has been since the 2016 renovation - I'm not sure if they continue selling GA tickets above the seating capacity. I have a feeling they do now.

In the CAA, you are required to provide 1,000 tickets for the visiting team to sell. In our case, JMU and occasionally, Delaware and UR, will sell the full allotment. What makes it difficult for a real CAA sellout, you have to quickly sell however any tickets the visiting team returns. That doesn't happen until a week before the game - so you need legitimate demand to hit an in-conference sellout.

One caveat, UR since moving into their smaller on campus stadium, has been reporting false sellouts for the past 8 years by just giving away tickets to local youth groups on tickets unsold, particularly from the visiting teams 1,000 allotment. It's why you see so many empty sections and seats at UR games that they call "sellouts".

Lots of unused tickets then as the seats outside of the JMU section were rather sparse for a sellout. I was at W&M & Stony Brook and I think both were or at least close to sellouts with way too many open seats to really call it that.

[Go Green]

I would guess that no Ivy League team outside of Harvard or Yale has had a sellout in at least 20 years. Someone mentioned Princeton sold out their new stadium's opener in 1998 so I would guess the answer to that question goes back into the mid-80's at least for Penn, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth and Cornell.

.

Dartmouth reduced capacity of Memorial Field around 2011 or so. The 2015 homecoming game against Yale was a sellout.

https://dartmouthsports.com/news/2015/10/10/210411703.aspx

[DFW HOYA]

Penn has to take this argument. It has likely not sold out Franklin Field since the 1950's.

[Ivytalk]

Penn has to take this argument. It has likely not sold out Franklin Field since the 1950's.
The Philly and Penn press folks have given a lot of ink to Franklin Field recently, because it’s approaching its 125th anniversary. I couldn’t find an item about the last Penn FB sellout, although Red Grange’s Illinois team drew over 67,000 back in 1925 when Red rushed for 331 yards all by himself. I remember attending a Harvard-Penn game in the mid-80s where the crowd was around 36,000. Current FB capacity is about 53,000.

[FUBeAR]

Furman?

The Paladins of Furman will not compete in this category.

Last sellout of Paladin Stadium (capacity of 16,000) was 2004...a victory over hated GaSou

2004 (6-1)
N. 6. FUR 29, Georgia Southern 22 ...17,145

[SCPALADIN]

Furman?

I seriously doubt it. Official capacity is 16,000.

FURMAN’S TOP CROWDS IN PALADIN STADIUM
Attendance........Season...........Opponent....... ...................................Date........... .........Score
19,058................1981..............Appalachia n State................................Oct. 10................22-18 W
18,617................1986..............Presbyteri an .......................................Nov. 1................ 45-31 W
18,190................1990..............The Citadel..........................................N ov. 17...............30-17 W
17,145..............2004............Georgia Southern..............................Nov. 6.................29-22 W
17,001................1989..............East Tennessee State........................... Nov. 11...............44-20 W
16,579................1991..............Chattanoog a....................................... Nov. 16...............24-21 W
16,464................1992..............The Citadel..........................................N ov. 21...............14-20 L
16,460................1988..............The Citadel..........................................N ov. 19...............30-17 W
16,125................1991..............Marshall .............................................Oct. 12................35-38 L
15,794................2002..............Georgia Southern.................................Nov. 9..................21-41 L

[Go Green]

Penn has to take this argument. It has likely not sold out Franklin Field since the 1950's.

You could very well be correct, although I would not be surprised if Penn got a sellout or two in the 1960s or 1970s for those Thanksgiving games against Cornell.

[bulldog10jw]

You could very well be correct, although I would not be surprised if Penn got a sellout or two in the 1960s or 1970s for those Thanksgiving games against Cornell.

Possible, but Penn and Cornell were not that good in the 60"s and '70's. Maybe Cornell was good during the Marinaro years but they were really only very good in 1971.

[CHIP72]

Bucknell?

That was what I was thinking, though there is probably no truth to the rumor that the last time the Bison sold out Christy Mathewson Stadium was when Christy Mathewson played there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sader87]

Thanks all for your replies....my original hunch was probably Penn but it's an interesting topic (to me anyway) in the history of different FCS programs across the country.

[ASU33]

I don't think Tennessee State has sold out Nissan Stadium for a while. xlolx

Or ever!

[Sitting Bull]

For the 1st 40 years of my life, Cary Field/Zable Stadium was listed at 15k capacity. I realize that included the endzones, one of which is no longer there. Still, you guys built that nice upper deck addition. How did you drop to an official capacity of 11.6? ADA accomodations? Are the suites sitting where the top rows used to be? Seats instead of bleachers?

First, I don't think Zable ever had 15,000 seats. That number was around a long time - and no one bothered to actually count the seats. It was in reality probably closer to 12,000 actual seats.

There were large, temp end zones that were used until about 2000. These cost a lot of money I heard to put up and then take down (because of the track) - so I think they were looking for ways to kill that.

The new renovation with the upper deck actually has more sideline seats, also all is now DA standard. Only the north end has a small end zone left, the south end zone is now the Tribe Tavern beer tent.

[Sitting Bull]

Lots of unused tickets then as the seats outside of the JMU section were rather sparse for a sellout. I was at W&M & Stony Brook and I think both were or at least close to sellouts with way too many open seats to really call it that.

That's not atypical of Homecoming. So many people never leave the tailgate and go in. All the tickets on the west side were sold. When I was there Q1 and Q2, it was visibly full, including the entire student section. Many left this year at Halftime.

[Baron Sardonicus]

I think the answer is Drake. Their website hints that a 1949 "standing room" crowd was the last football sellout at Drake Stadium. They were in and out of major college football after that, so '49 was probably the year.

Did I win a prize?

[Hood]

I don't know attendance figures, but I understand that for the 1996 game against Southern metal end zone bleachers were set up to provide seating for all the fans the Jags brought. The only time we've ever come close to that was the '05 McNeese game where we won Conference, an 01 Grambling game, and periodically been having impressive but not sell out crowds ever since Rebowe turned us around.

Basically our local economy loves fans from Southern, Grambling, and McNeese.

[grayghost06]

First, I don't think Zable ever had 15,000 seats. That number was around a long time - and no one bothered to actually count the seats. It was in reality probably closer to 12,000 actual seats.

There were large, temp end zones that were used until about 2000. These cost a lot of money I heard to put up and then take down (because of the track) - so I think they were looking for ways to kill that.

The new renovation with the upper deck actually has more sideline seats, also all is now DA standard. Only the north end has a small end zone left, the south end zone is now the Tribe Tavern beer tent.

Must have been a pretty relaxed atmosphere around the ticket office there and the Fire Marshall's office. Usually the Fire Marshall has a pretty good handle on capacity (even if the school didn't) and the tolerance to exceed it.

[gofurman]

Furman?

Furman is a 'big' stadium w 16K -- but in 80s we sold out all the time with standing room only. back when people didn't have TV and all. this was for regular season games vs SC State - not even playoffs. Not sure the last sellout but we have soldout a lot.

nevermind - I see FUBeAR etc answered it ... you will notice the two common factors in those games: 1) the OTHER team. It takes a large state university like GSU or App State to help sell it out. Now we have Woff etc so the visitor side is empty 2) the time of the 80s and 90s before ESPN3 had every game on TV so people sit at home instead of attending all of college football - Alabama can't keep kids until the 4th Q now!


FURMAN’S TOP CROWDS IN PALADIN STADIUM
Attendance........Season...........Opponent....... ...................................Date........... .........Score
19,058................1981..............Appalachia n State................................Oct. 10................22-18 W
18,617................1986..............Presbyteri an .......................................Nov. 1................ 45-31 W
18,190................1990..............The Citadel..........................................N ov. 17...............30-17 W
17,145..............2004............Georgia Southern..............................Nov. 6.................29-22 W
17,001................1989..............East Tennessee State........................... Nov. 11...............44-20 W
16,579................1991..............Chattanoog a....................................... Nov. 16...............24-21 W
16,464................1992..............The Citadel..........................................N ov. 21...............14-20 L
16,460................1988..............The Citadel..........................................N ov. 19...............30-17 W
16,125................1991..............Marshall .............................................Oct. 12................35-38 L
15,794................2002..............Georgia Southern.................................Nov. 9..................21-41 L

[ngineer]

I'm going to guess Penn for the Ivy. Brown would be my second choice.

Harvard and Yale have sold out The Game in the not-too-distant past. Princeton got at least one sellout when it opened its new Stadium in 1998. The others got some sellouts on homecomings.

I'll pose the question on the Ivy Board to see if some old-timers can confirm this.

I would go with Penn. Brown's stadium is fairly small. Franklin Field holds around 60,000 (though some areas may be taped off for safety reasons).

[ngineer]

Bucknell?

Reasonable guess. Christy Mathewson currently seats about 10,000, though capacity was around 14-15,000 prior to the demotion of the horseshoe end zone seats about 20 years ago. I am willing to bet they haven't had a sellout since the reduction in seating, and would find it hard to believe any SRO's after 1970 and quite possibly much earlier. One would think in their 'hay day' they sold out back at times from the 30's to the 60's..

[ngineer]

I would guess that no Ivy League team outside of Harvard or Yale has had a sellout in at least 20 years. Someone mentioned Princeton sold out their new stadium's opener in 1998 so I would guess the answer to that question goes back into the mid-80's at least for Penn, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth and Cornell.

I would be shocked if Bucknell has ever had a sellout.

Drake has definitely not had a sellout since the last time they hosted Iowa or Iowa State generations ago, if ever.

Richmond was mentioned in a prior post. While they've obviously sold out their cozy on-campus stadium multiple times since opening (some of which are not REALLY sell-outs), did they ever sell out City Stadium all those years playing there? Capacity was definitely at least double their current venue.

Portland State plays in a AAA ballpark. They probably have a difficult time selling out.

Since this thread was started by everyone's Holy Cross poster, I will predict that we will never sell out Fitton Field for the remainder of it's lifetime unless the end zone seats are completely torn town in favor of locker rooms or a football building. There is no scenario (minus BC agreeing to come to town for some kind of ceremonial meeting) that would put 23,000 people in the stands.

IF limited to just FCS tenure, I would agree. But, I would suspect some SRO's back in the 1930-1960 era when the Bison had some very good teams. Indeed, they were in the first Orange Bowl back in the 1930's and had some games versus Penn State into the 1950's, I think, though not sure any in Lewisburg in that decade.

[Sitting Bull]

Must have been a pretty relaxed atmosphere around the ticket office there and the Fire Marshall's office. Usually the Fire Marshall has a pretty good handle on capacity (even if the school didn't) and the tolerance to exceed it.

We are talking the 50s, 60s and 70s here when Madison was still a women's teachers college. You can go check yourself but every school stadium had a capacity rounded number. Scott Stadium at UVA was "28,000", City Stadium in Richmond "22,000", VMI "10,000". Not sure why specific seats weren't used, maybe they just estimated how many people could be on the grounds.

it was to your point a much more tolerant time. We used to take kegs into Zable in the 70s.

[DFW HOYA]

There is no scenario (minus BC agreeing to come to town for some kind of ceremonial meeting) that would put 23,000 people in the stands.

Army could do it. UConn, not as likely.

[ST_Lawson]

it was to your point a much more tolerant time. We used to take kegs into Zable in the 70s.

Good point, also ties into how WIU had so many people at their games in the '70s. Back then, our Veterans Club had a crew called the "Peach Blossoms" (still do, but they're much less rowdy now). They'd put on skirts, mop "wigs", and balloons in their shirts. They'd drive an old beat up pickup truck (painted purple) into the stadium with a keg in the back and drive it around on the track before the game, then spend most of the game mingling with the crowd and getting everyone all "riled up" while drinking beer out of toilet plungers (I assume clean/new ones). About 95% of what they used to do, they can't do now.

Side note, Bob Hope was actually an honorary "Peach Blossom". There's a picture (that I can't seem to find now) of him with a mop wig and balloons under his shirt hanging out with the Veterans Club. He was a frequent visitor to WIU during that era.

https://i.imgur.com/HyEgZG9.jpg

[fmftballmgr]

Murray's biggest crowd in 1981 and it was 16,600 and Stewart Stadium holds 16,800 So we never technically had a sell out. This year we had the biggest crowd we have had in 20 years

[DFW HOYA]

Side note, Bob Hope was actually an honorary "Peach Blossom". There's a picture (that I can't seem to find now) of him with a mop wig and balloons under his shirt hanging out with the Veterans Club. He was a frequent visitor to WIU during that era.


Bob Hope visited many college campuses and enjoyed the attention. SMU was one of his favorites.

"In the early 1950s, Hope began performing on various U.S. campuses. Selling out quickly, his performances at SMU were always a huge success. He was even the first person ever to arrive at SMU in a helicopter. However, his performances at SMU were only the beginning. Hope was the first man ever to be made an honorary member of the SMU sororities. He was given the Red Stallion Award from the athletic department, crowned “Homecoming King” in 1968, granted an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and presented with an honorary membership in the SMU Alumni Association. Hope also served on SMU’s Board of Trustees from 1968 to 1976."

https://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-mourns-loss-of-friend-supporter

SMU wasn't stupid. Hope made a nearly $1 million gift to the school and it built the Bob Hope Theater. (By contrast, Hope's only child attended Georgetown from 1958 to 1962 and the school through it was unseemly to ask him for money.)

[GAD]

I don't think Tennessee State has sold out Nissan Stadium for a while. xlolx
They never sold out but they have put 40k+ in there

[Sader87]

Love the Bob Hope stories.....John Provost DB from HC was on the Bob Hope Christmas Special for All-Americans in 1974, we were so excited to see that as kids :)

[Ivytalk]

This thread has turned into an opportunity for old pharts like me to reminisce about when students and alums actually showed up for college FB games.

[ST_Lawson]

Bob Hope visited many college campuses and enjoyed the attention. SMU was one of his favorites.

"In the early 1950s, Hope began performing on various U.S. campuses. Selling out quickly, his performances at SMU were always a huge success. He was even the first person ever to arrive at SMU in a helicopter. However, his performances at SMU were only the beginning. Hope was the first man ever to be made an honorary member of the SMU sororities. He was given the Red Stallion Award from the athletic department, crowned “Homecoming King” in 1968, granted an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and presented with an honorary membership in the SMU Alumni Association. Hope also served on SMU’s Board of Trustees from 1968 to 1976."

https://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-mourns-loss-of-friend-supporter

SMU wasn't stupid. Hope made a nearly $1 million gift to the school and it built the Bob Hope Theater. (By contrast, Hope's only child attended Georgetown from 1958 to 1962 and the school through it was unseemly to ask him for money.)

Guess we should have asked him for a donation too after he was our 1980 Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal. He was also pretty good friends with Marine Colonel Ray "Rock" Hanson (WIU's longtime AD, football and basketball coach, the reason we are the "Leathernecks", and for whom our football stadium is named), but of course, Hope always had a soft spot for members the military.