Yale-Dartmouth Attendance

[Husky Alum]

Generally I don't notice these things, but the Yale-Dartmouth attendance on Saturday was announced at 2,500. That's 2,500 people in the Yale Bowl - must have looked simply awful.

Granted the rain had something to do with it, but my dad (who's a sports writer in New Haven) said that it was Yale's lowest home attendance since like 1917.

Did anyone brave the weather and go???

[Marcus Garvey]

I'll bet the last time such a large sporting venue had so few fans occured when the Indians were still playing in Municipal Stadium, aka, the "Mistake by the Lake!"

[TxSt02]

I'll bet the last time such a large sporting venue had so few fans occured when the Indians were still playing in Municipal Stadium, aka, the "Mistake by the Lake!"

The entire city of Cleveland is a mistake...

[Marcus Garvey]

The entire city of Cleveland is a mistake...

I liked Cleveland. I interviewed there in '97 and the only reason I didn't take the job was because I felt the company was in a shaky industry. I was right, as they shut all operations in '99.
I haven't been there in over 6 years, but I thought the Flats was a fun place. I've heard that the nightlife mecca in Cleveland has shifted to another neighborhood since then. Can anyone verify this?

[YaleFootballFan]

Generally I don't notice these things, but the Yale-Dartmouth attendance on Saturday was announced at 2,500. That's 2,500 people in the Yale Bowl - must have looked simply awful.

Granted the rain had something to do with it, but my dad (who's a sports writer in New Haven) said that it was Yale's lowest home attendance since like 1917.

Did anyone brave the weather and go???

I was there. The weather did keep many people away. On a nice day, Yale/Dartmouth at the Bowl draws between 15-25,000 easily. Years ago, it used to draw 40-50,000, but that was more than 30 years ago. Yale/Dartmouth is still a good draw, even in Hanover, but it's nothing like it used to be.

[Husky Alum]

YFF -

I was an usher at the Bowl in the late 70s/early 80s and vividly remember large crowds for games against service academies and the like, but nothing like my family told me stories of.

My dad was an usher in the late 50s and would tell me stories of 50K for Princeton, Army, Navy, etc.

My grandparents are from West Haven and Westville and would tell me stories of taking trollies to the Bowl in the 40s and 50s.

Man, I was born at the wrong time. ;)

[bulldog10jw]

YFF -

I was an usher at the Bowl in the late 70s/early 80s and vividly remember large crowds for games against service academies and the like, but nothing like my family told me stories of.

My dad was an usher in the late 50s and would tell me stories of 50K for Princeton, Army, Navy, etc.

My grandparents are from West Haven and Westville and would tell me stories of taking trollies to the Bowl in the 40s and 50s.

Man, I was born at the wrong time. ;)

Even when I started attending games regularly in the mid sixties Dartmouth games would get close to 50k and Princeton and Harvard would get 50k to 60k. The other Ivies would draw 25,000 or more. Dartmouth-Yale was always played at the Bowl until the '70's because it was such a big draw.

[YaleFootballFan]

YFF -

I was an usher at the Bowl in the late 70s/early 80s and vividly remember large crowds for games against service academies and the like, but nothing like my family told me stories of.

My dad was an usher in the late 50s and would tell me stories of 50K for Princeton, Army, Navy, etc.

My grandparents are from West Haven and Westville and would tell me stories of taking trollies to the Bowl in the 40s and 50s.

Man, I was born at the wrong time. ;)

My dad, a Yale fan since the 30s, keeps telling me I missed the "Glory Days" of Yale Football. 1981 was the last real "National Power House" team and I started really following Yale football shortly thereafter (although, my dad tells me I attended many Yale games while in diapers in the mid to late 70s).

My dad and his buddies, who you can find at every home game in the Yale Athletics Sky Box, can also tell you some great stories about the good ol' days of Yale Football. My dad's first game was in 1937, which was the 9-9 tie with Dartmouth. The Bowl was so packed that afternoon, that people were sitting in the isles. Since then, I think he's missed only about 6 or 7 home games.

[Husky Alum]

That 1981 Yale team was quite special. I think that they may have been the last team to crack the Top 25 (although the poll was Top 20 at that time, they were on the cusp I believe of making the Top 20). Rich Diana was a star on those teams. I remember working the stands at those games, and because of the crowds, I'd make about $40 a game in tips, which was a BIG deal back then.

I won't forget the Navy game with all of the middies in the stands, or the Harvard game which capped that great season. I also remember Yale beating Air Force in 80.

I even think a couple of Yale's games were on ABC in 80-81 as part of its regional package.

Those days are long gone and we'll never see the likes of them in New Haven again - unless there's a fundamental shift in philosophies among the Ancient Eight.

[YaleFootballFan]

That 1981 Yale team was quite special. I think that they may have been the last team to crack the Top 25 (although the poll was Top 20 at that time, they were on the cusp I believe of making the Top 20). Rich Diana was a star on those teams. I remember working the stands at those games, and because of the crowds, I'd make about $40 a game in tips, which was a BIG deal back then.

I won't forget the Navy game with all of the middies in the stands, or the Harvard game which capped that great season. I also remember Yale beating Air Force in 80.

I even think a couple of Yale's games were on ABC in 80-81 as part of its regional package.

Those days are long gone and we'll never see the likes of them in New Haven again - unless there's a fundamental shift in philosophies among the Ancient Eight.

The 1981 team was the last Yale team to be ranked among major college teams because a year or two later, Yale and rest of the Ivies would drop to I-AA. The sad part about all of this is Yale today can't even compete with some of the top I-AA schools after years of competing against some of the major programs in Division I (Rutgers, Miami Ohio, Navy, Air Force, Boston College, etc). It's really sad to see what Yale Football has become.

[colgate13]

It's really sad to see what Yale Football has become.

It is sadder when you think about how it was a conscious choice. It is really out of whack to think that the Ivy League chose to be anything but the best.