Crowd of more than 24,000 at Reliant breaks records
10/24/2010 7:32:00 AM | Football
A thundering sea of orange and purple clad fans filled the lower bowl of the modern NFL facility, seeing an exciting game that went down to the wire. From the more than 100 former Bearkat football players who welcomed the team onto the field for kickoff, to fantastic pregame and halftime entertainment by the band and spirit groups to the performance of the team on the gridiron, it was a day to remember.
The crowd of 24,685 was the largest in SHSU-SFA series history. It also was the largest crowd for a Bearkat game versus an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Last year's attendance of 18,342 in Nacogdoches was the previous high announced attendance at a "Battle of the Piney Woods" meeting. Sam Houston battled Montana in front of 23,382 fans in the NCAA Division I semifinals in Missoula in 2004.
"I remember being excited as a young grad assistant here at Sam to have 4,000 people crowd into Pritchett Field to watch us play the Jacks in 1984," Bearkat head coach Willie Fritz said. "Wow. This was something. What a great experience for the players on both teams. Bobby Williams and Robert Hill, the athletic directors at both Sam Houston and SFA, and the people at Lone Star Sports Entertainment and the Texans are to be congratulated on putting on a first class event."
Game day started with a packed house at the pregame tailgate party in the Blue Lot south of Reliant. Fans already were in place at 10 a.m. and the crowd grew and grew.
"I was very suprised to see as many people," Sam Houston alumnus Jon Volkmer told The Huntsville Item Saturday. "We got here at 11 in the morning and there already were hundreds here. We tailgate at Huntsville, but it's not on this level. It's a lot of fun and it's exciting. We saw friends we haven't seen in a while."
The athletic directors for both universities, Bobby Williams and Robert Hill, were interviewed at halftime before a regional audience on the Southland TV network. Both agreed it was a magical day for the two programs.
"Naturally, a victory would have been great, but what a fantastic day for both universities," SHSU athletic director Bobby Williams said. "This definitely was a great day to be a Bearkat."
The event provided a stage for Sam Houston State to gain exposure in a city in which more than 65,000 university alumni call home. The Bearkats and Lumberjacks were featured in interviews on all of the city's television, radio and newspaper media throughout the week.
"This was an event that will help our program throughout the year," Fritz said. "When I was at Central Missouri, two teams in our league played annually at Arrowhead Stadium - the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. I always felt that was a big recruiting tool. Now playing at Reliant Stadium the next three years will help us the same way. The atmosphere was electric and this is a game the players will always remember."
Even though the two teams had designated tailgating areas, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin fans mingled with one another.
"We're very good-natured rivals," Volkmer said. "We respect each other, but yet we're adament for our own schools. We're excited. I'm glad this is just the first of a four-year deal. We plan on coming every year. This is a lot of fun."
