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Season ticket sales down for USF, FSU football

Tribune file photo by JAY CONNER

Students can always be counted on to support USF football, but season ticket sales are off last year's pace.

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By BRETT McMURPHY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 9, 2009

Updated: 07/10/2009 01:15 am

TAMPA - Whether because of a struggling economy or a home schedule featuring two Division I-AA opponents, season ticket sales for the University of South Florida are down 18.6 percent compared to last year's record total.

With the regular season less than two months away, USF has distributed 22,697 season tickets through Thursday, the school announced.

The Bulls aren't the only ones off last year's pace. Florida State's season ticket numbers are down 13.4 percent from matching last year's total of 38,400 season tickets sold last year.

However, defending national champion Florida has no such problems. Even with a season ticket deadline at the end of April, UF sold its full allotment of 76,500 season tickets. It's the 30th consecutive year the Gators have sold all of their season tickets, UF assistant athletic director Mark Gajda said.

"We didn't believe anyone was immune to it [the economic conditions], but for the few people that dropped we had new boosters come on board," Gajda said.

Gajda said Florida was prepared for different scenarios if the Gators didn't sell all of their season tickets. Those plans were not needed, in part, he said, because of the Gators winning last year's national championship.

Florida's home schedule consists of games against Division I-AA Charleston Southern, Troy, Florida International and Florida State and SEC members Tennessee, Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

Florida State has sold 33,234 season tickets through Wednesday, 5,166 fewer than last season, FSU associate AD Rob Wilson. The Seminoles host Division I-AA Jacksonville State, Miami, USF and ACC foes Georgia Tech, N.C. State and Maryland.

USF's 22,697 season tickets are 5,182 less than last season when the Bulls distributed a school record 27,879 season tickets. Last year's record total was about 7,000 more than the previous mark set in the program's inaugural season in 1997 (20,619).

The only other season in program history that USF had more than 20,000 season ticket holders was in 2007 with 20,043.

USF's home schedule features two Division I-AA opponents – Wofford and Charleston Southern – along with Miami and Big East opponents Cincinnati, West Virginia and Louisville.

Of USF's 22,697 season tickets distributed this year, 19,483 are paid season tickets. The remaining 3,214 are non-revenue. USF's 22,697 season tickets do not include the 12,501 tickets reserved for USF's students. USF executive associate AD Bill McGillis said the 19,483 paid season tickets is down only eight percent compared with paid season tickets at the exact date last season.

McGillis added it's "too early" to tell where USF will end up in total season ticket sales.

"We do know we have one heck of a challenge and a great opportunity over the next 10-plus weeks to get to last year's total," McGillis said. "We'll launch our ad campaign in full force over the next couple of weeks and see where that and a great deal of personal contact and grassroots initiative can take us.

"As we get close to the season and the buzz surrounding the Florida State game [in Tallahassee] and monumental home games with West Virginia and Miami builds, we know we'll see an uptick of some kind. The excitement is growing."

USF isn't the only Big East team that hasn't been able to match last year's season ticket numbers. Through June 12, Louisville had sold 27,218 season tickets, 6,000 less than last season or about a 20 percent drop, the Louisville-Courier Journal reported.

In the past four seasons as members of the Big East, the Bulls averaged 20,320 season ticket holders. In its two years in Conference USA, USF averaged 16,118 season ticket holders. In the program's first six years as a Division I-A and I-AA independent, the school averaged 16,534 season ticket holders.

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928

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