UL-Southern a sellout!! 41,357 attend!!

[zephyr]

_ .
I, too, would wish that we could have 41,000 at each home game. However, we had a very unique situation last night.

#1 Many people there were there to see the Southern band. Evidenced of the exodus after half time. Yet, they did come in and they did pay for a ticket. How many other teams will bring a band that will have such a draw?

#2 Southern is one hour away. There is a big Southern fan base in Acadiana. Did you notice the number of blue shirts in the stadium? They took up most of the Red Zone. They were on the hill, they were on the press box side. They were everywhere. The red shirts were a plenty, but take out the blue shirts and how many red shirts came to the game?

#3 LSU was playing away, but on tv at 9:30. This is the farthest that LSU has ever been to play football. How many games will they have at home and/or on tv at the same time as our games?

Don't get carried away. This was a very special and unique situation. In all probability, it will not happen again this season, or maybe ever. Do not build a 50K stadium for a one time unique situation. _

Don't worry. Nobody's getting carried away. We are fully aware of the unique situation that was opening night. However, our attendance has grown over the years and we lead the SBC in attendance. Like it was stated earlier, you do those things to upgrade the stadium and build FOR success rather than a product of it. There will come a time that people will get tired of sitting in the grass on the hills. If you want to be taken seriously as a program, you don't want hay filled hills with trash thrown all over them for when you are on TV. Also, you will see many more of these games in the near future. You get Oklahoma State next year at home and not to mention you have Kansas State this week and depending on what is happening at the time, we get FAU for homecoming. What happens if we are 4-2 and 2-0 in conference. That is a huge game and possibly a sellout.

[Boomer]

_ Yesterday, the college game atmosphere was absolutely fantastic and electric. We no doubt will have issues when hosting an overflowing crowd, but it was GREAT to see. I didn't like the parking situation, but I did my griping out loud and moved on. It was a joy to see Cajun field once again filled to the gills, I was there for Ok State, Alabama and Tx A&M, but this was special. Why? Because we WON!

Hope we had some talented high school seniors for recruiting purposes, it doesn't get better than that. _

I hope the DeJean kid heard about the Tulane fiasco and happened by Congress street Saturday --I would go after this kid and get his ass to UL!!!!!

[Boomer]

_ And even THAT would have sold out yesterday, or come very close.

I had a unique perspective as a kid being the son of the original project engineer of Cajun Field. I was lucky to see first hand just about every stage of construction and even got a ride on an earth mover. My dad built a cool modular model of Cajun Field as it was being built with all pieces comprising an eventual two-tier bowl with a 70,000 + capacity. When he told me that the current construction would only allow for 28,000, I was disappointed. But he assured me that the time will come when expansion will be necessary.

But, I remember being impressed that, included in the overall design, was the vision of a large, high-capacity arena. Of course as a kid, thought it all would be completed within ten years.

The time did eventually come when Cajun Field needed to be expanded to its current 31,000 due to requirements by the NCAA in order to remain in D-1A. So whether by demand or mandated rules, the easy ability to expand the facility was a big plus. Kudos to the administration at the time for making that commitment.

LuLu is right that the planets lined up perfectly for Saturday's "very unique situation", but as orbital mechanics will have it, there will be more such alignments.

My dad rightly implied way back when that it would be a work in progress. And progress we have, and are, seeing. Not saying that Saturday's crowd will be the norm in the near future, but it would be nice to at least have the ability to properly welcome visitors during big games by giving them decent seats.

So, enough with the grass stains. We have recently populated these places with the regularity to at least look at paving and seating the tunnel area end zone grass. If only to make big games a little more comfortable for visitors. Just be sure to add concession areas and restrooms there. Please!

Expansion is inevitable. _

I remember Coach Sonny Roy saying---there are plans to build the other upper deck but I don't think in ---can't remember if he said in his, our, or your lifetime---he is gone and I am knocking on 65---let's do it!!!!

[CajunMarine81]

Yeah, If only 30,000 would have went to the game, he would complain about that. I can see the post if that would've happened. You stand in a long line at any freaking stadium. I was VERY happy to see a long line. I can not believe we beat the **** out of southern, had a record setting crowd, and now, we have people saying, they let too many people in because they couldn't get water as fast as they wanted. That is ____ing stupid. I stand in line longer at a bar waiting for a beer. I'm very proud of UL, the fans, the excitement for the game, the awesome tailgating, and for starting off the season beating the hell out southern. I hope we have 42,000 next week. I know if we only have 22,000, the same people _____ing about "TOO MUCH" in the stadium will _____ about "TOO LITTLE" in the stadium. I have NEVER heard any fan _____ about too MANY freaking people at their home game. That is crazy!

_ so you went from talking about concession stands being run poorly to fire code! first off,your a douche,2nd i work in the safety business and i promise you, cajun field was in no violation of fire code u ______! some people will never be happy, and i guess ur one of them




igeaux.mobi _

[Jo Cajun Momma]

Oh, cajunhawk, I agree with you that more than 31K is too many people. I was amazed that over 40K people would fit in the stadium. One problem that I noticed at the game is that my butt is larger than the intended fan. My back side just does not fit into only one of those spots on the stadium rows. Our group had 4 people and although I did have the widest butt, I noticed their skinny A’s did not really fit in their ASSigned seat either. Also, keep in mind that it was HOT and steamy that night. No one seemed to want to sit as close as we were having to sit. I suggest that fans that have a rather large FANny purchase 2 or more seats to ASSure that they will be fully accommodated. . I don’t know if the stadium needs to be redesigned for the fatter American…or their needs to be a plus sized fan section…or maybe I need to sit on the grASS. However it works out, I still plan on being at as many UL games as I can…and of course, the TAILgate parties. Oh, what is a dingus? Is it related to a AmartSss?

_ Yeah too many people were let in. 31000 is what Cajun field seats. Thats an extra 10k just kinda everywhere. In the aisles. ... Fire codes are there for a reason dingus. _

[gorcajun]

After forty years, the complaints are the same.

1. Too many people in a small area

2. Not enough traffic directors

3. Insufficient restroom facilities

4. Long lines at the concession stands

5. Parking accomodation inadequate

6. Great entertainment, bands and sights

7. What a show. Hope they do it again and soon.


Folks, these are the comments of
WOODSTOCK ATTENDEES-'NUF SAID

[moorecajun]

_ If the stadium would have been bowled before this season, and we had 45 or 50k in seats, we would have sold that out too. Maybe Farmer is making a point, the demand is apparently there now lets get the upgrades to Cajun Field done. And lets hang one on K State. _

You are absolutely right ... we need to make the infrastructure changes to accomodate these crowds. But you can't be serious about the changes until the demand is there. We have met the demand and now we have serious "growing pains"!

It will take years to get Cajun Field upgraded to what is in the plans, but isn't it great that now everyone literally sees what that upgrade would do for us!

[Cajunsmike]

_ I hope the DeJean kid heard about the Tulane fiasco and happened by Congress street Saturday --I would go after this kid and get his ass to UL!!!!! _

What Tulane fiasco are you referring to?

[Hammer58]

_ What Tulane fiasco are you referring to? _

I think he is referring to Tulane's Fridayy game against Tulsa where Tulane, per their usual policy, announcing the total tickets distributed (20,000+) as attendance when in reality those that watched the game stated the actual butts in the stands was much lower (some estimates ranging as low as 5000).

[CajunNation]

Don't worry. Nobody's getting carried away. We are fully aware of the unique situation that was opening night. However, our attendance has grown over the years and we lead the SBC in attendance. Like it was stated earlier, you do those things to upgrade the stadium and build FOR success rather than a product of it. There will come a time that people will get tired of sitting in the grass on the hills. If you want to be taken seriously as a program, you don't want hay filled hills with trash thrown all over them for when you are on TV. Also, you will see many more of these games in the near future. You get Oklahoma State next year at home and not to mention you have Kansas State this week and depending on what is happening at the time, we get FAU for homecoming. What happens if we are 4-2 and 2-0 in conference. That is a huge game and possibly a sellout.

I would be willing to bet that due to the already bowled stadium, cementing the end zones and puting bleacher seats there would be cheaper to do than what we will spend on the Softball/Track/Baseball projects that were recently approved.

I would also be willing to say that a lot of the cost for a football seating expansion would be supplied by super-eager football boosters who have been craving such projects for decades.

I say that when we do the pressbox, do the end zone seating as well.

[zephyr]

_ I would be willing to bet that due to the already bowled stadium, cementing the end zones and puting bleacher seats there would be cheaper to do than what we will spend on the Softball/Track/Baseball projects that were recently approved.

I would also be willing to say that a lot of the cost for a football seating expansion would be supplied by super-eager football boosters who have been craving such projects for decades.

I say that when we do the pressbox, do the end zone seating as well. _

Well, from the indication I got from Mr. Farmer, I think that is what they plan to do. They want to do as much at one time as they can.

[California Cajun]

_ I thought that the university was poorly prepared for such a large crowd. THe concession lines were ridiculous... People were allowed to sit in the aisles and stand on the ramps... Just thought it was very poorly run... _

I think things went remarkably well. I was a little steamed up about not being able to park nearer to the tailgaters despite being there around 10:15 AM but I was able to park reasonably close (unlike other times in previous years) and was probably a misunderstanding on my part. The concession lines weren't nearly as long as for the McNeese game two years ago with 8,000 fewer people in attendance, and I must have been out of that parking lot after the game within 10 minutes.