Attendance: 8672

Is that legit on our normal scale?  By legit I mean closer to 5000 actually in the Convo.

I've said it once and I'll say it again---schedule some compelling matchup and fans will reward the Convo gate with their presence.  It really doesn't take all that much to see a huge difference.   Bring Temple in for basketball last year = nice crowd.   Bring Marshall in for football = nice crowd.  Heck, even schedule a mismatch in Marietta = nice weekday/non student crowd. 

Now compare that to what you've seen so far on our home slate and what you're going to see against NC-AT, Kennessaw State, etc...  I know the argument will be that Marshall & Marietta brought their fans, but our fans come more often too when the matchup is compelling. 

I know, I know---it's hard to get teams to come to the Convo.  I'm just saying, you bring something in that is remotely exciting, the fans reward you with their attendance.  Until we do so, I will continue to buy 8 season tickets per year and eat 4 of them because nobody I invite wants to come see anyone play UT-Martin, Lamar, Gardner Webb, and you can list just about every other non-conference home football/basketball opponent here.   

Marietta travels much better than Rio Grande.  Back in the Hunter years we had a game with the Redmen (now Red Somethingorother) and I don't think they had even 500 of their fans in the house.  I actually wouldn't be against making this an annual affair.  I'd also like to have an annual game in the Convo against a B1G team, like we did for awhile back in the 1960s.  

Speaking of the 1960s, in the 1959-60 season we played Marietta twice.  The first time we clobbered them in Marietta.  The second time we lost at home.  The loss was the last regular season game.  In the various next outing we beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by an identical score to the one with the Pioneers, except the numbers were reversed.

Here's more detail cut and pasted from the football forum where we were debating if the Meltdown in Detroit was the worst lost ever:

Good list, but let me add . . . Georgia Tech (basketball) 1959-60.  The Yellowjackets were ranked #13 and Ohio had a 20 point lead at halftime.  We lost 57-54 . . . as the rambling wrecks just cut the lead little by little in the second half until they finally took the lead themselves in the final minute or so of the game.  I felt very much after this game like I do now after the Friday fiasco.  This was a second-round NCAA game.  We had beaten Notre Dame in the first round.  After losing to GT, we were so down emotionally that we got creamed in the consolation game by WKU. I hope that's not what happens in the Spud Bowl.  [For the record, I was a sophomore at Athens High School at the time and listened to this game on WOUB.  I never thought a school nickname -- rambling wrecks -- ever fit a team better as they slowly rambled to a lead and wrecked the Bobcat train.]

Edit: To make sure that I remembered this correctly, I just looked up the 1959-60 Ohio record and found an amazing fact that should be posted on the basketball board.  The game before we beat Notre Dame in the NCAA tourney we played an away game at Marietta College.  We lost that game 74-66, which was the exact same score that we beat ND by six days later.  We had beaten Marietta at home earlier that season 89-72.  I have no explanation for that Marietta loss -- maybe Gentleman Jim played his second string so as not to have any unnecessary injuries prior to the tourney, since we'd already clinched the birth.  

i'll add my perspective, having driven down from columbus for this game. 

First, there was ALMOST a debacle before the game at the ticket counter.  Didn't anyone tell the ticket office, that maybe, just maybe, a few Marietta fans might show up?  For the most part, there were just 2 people selling tix for a line that was in the hundreds.  Took me about 15 mins to make it thru the line and I stepped into the seating area just as the national anthem was playing.  Although it was organized chaos in the concourse, as there was no one there from the athletic dept. to help establish lines, direct people, etc., everyone was in good spirits and did their best to keep a sense of humor about the situation.

Based on the number of folks who appeared to be students from Marietta, my guess is their classes are still in session.  Since classes were out at Bobcat State, it certainly affected our attendance.  I thought the total in the convo was closer to 6500, with two to three thousand coming from Marietta.  

Personally, I enjoyed the matchup of my alma mater (Ohio) vs. that of my dad.  Wouldn't mind if they did it again. 

Classes in session or not, that's just embarrassing to be outnumbered on your own court.

While I usually agree...Ohio fans saw this as an "exhibition" game that was not a must see game while the entire town of Marietta has had this game circled since this past summer.

Marietta fans have my utmost respect for making the trip. I just wish more of the fans in Athens would get as excited for these games.

        Didn't want to do this but some of you guys ask for it.

Ohio Home Game Attendance :

Tenn. Martin -  3835

Lamar -  3672

Arkansas St.  3455

Morgan St.  2768
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Total   -     13.780    for a 4 game avg. of 3445

       The crowd last night was 8672.   Take 8672 minus our avg. 3445 = 5227   With the Students gone and you guys are trying to tell me that we out numbered the Marrietta fans?  I see a 5227 difference.


                   If Ohio fans outnumbered Marrietta Fans, then the Ohio Fans was wearing Blue.  The 5 Dollar ticket price brought the Marietta faithful's out in droves. I sat there and scoped the Convo in awe.  There was alot more Blue & White in the Convo last night than Green & White.  It was a hot topic in my section last nite which had lots of Pioner fans setting in it and they also agreed on the crowd. But to each their own.


               The most important thing here is,  Did Ohio win over any of the Marrietta Fans, would they make the hour drive from Marrietta to come and watch their new favorite D1 Basketball team. I know alot of Pioneer fans we're really impressed with the Bobcats, so time will tell if they buy in to the program. But last night was a good promo to gain new fans, Glad the game happen.

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Dennis  'G'

A little too simplistic approach Gman...You've gotta consider Ohio fans that come out because they were playing Marietta...brucecuth being a perfect example.  Many Ohio fans have some sort of ties to Marietta or just a general local interest in the game that probably caused Ohio fan attendance to spike a little but over the December norm.

        Nice try Andrew but, it is what it is, and if you wanna believe we had more people come to the game because we played Marietta and they had ties ?  then so be it.    Was you at the game Andrew ?  Been going to Convo games for over 30 years and I think i can tell when your out numbered and last nite we we're. Lots of our faithfuls who live away from Athens failed to make the trip to Athens to watch the game.

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Dennis  'G'

love, rather clueless semi-rant over one game....a game with compelling local reasons (see GMan's unassailable assertion that there were more Marietta than Ohio)...and every team deserves a breather game.

Chicken George--8 season tix to football---That's great.

It will be interesting to see if the novelty of Marietta playing at OU is a one-time jump in attendance or if this is a game that Marietta fans would be willing to attend every year. I'm not too keen on this game, but if it puts 8500 paid tickets into the coffers for an extra practice...do it.