Timeless joke about unending freeway construction…? Gulf freeway from downtown to UH was the first part of the interstate in Houston…?
Have you been to Houston before?
Yes and no.
UCF actually isn’t located in the city of Orlando.
It’s located in unincorporated Orange County, more than 13 miles from Downtown Orlando.
Suburban party school.
Quite different from UH.
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The city will never let UH thrive.
The past two mayors were alumnus and still ignore us and successfully hold us back.
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Houston is a disloyal college sports town and probably always will be.
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We have to quit thinking we can rely on the city.
That is never going to work for anything other than some casual bandwagon fans. That’s why our attendance bumps are never in season, but following a good season.
Even the bandwagon fans in this city (Charlie Brown) have had UH Football (Lucy) pull the ball out from under them whenever they start to buy in and show up. It’s happened so many times that now they need to see us be good for more than 1 season.
Our attendance issues will NEVER change unless the university does a MUCH BTTER job of capturing the hearts and minds of our students we have on campus to buy into being die hard, passionate, in person game day supporters. Additionally, making it very easy and economically friendly to continue to do it after they graduate.
WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF WATERING THE ROOTS.
That is what we have ALWAYS needed to do, and have only done it in brief stints.
There are huge generational gaps among our season ticket base because of this.
It needs to become our hallmark effort from now until eternity.
The 200,000 alumni that live in the city and don’t support the football program now, are never going to do it. We have to stop trying to put effort into them. Those are the bandwagoners. Those are nice to have, but those alumni aren’t what is going to make the cultural change that is needed.
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Need the Dr. Khator equivalent AD.
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They know their marching orders are to NEVER improve a University that threatens UT or TAMU as the best public school option in the state.
They have generations of good ole boys behind them and they fully intend us to be a worker bee college located in a part of the city that magically never gets a Univetsity District like every other 50,000 P4 University in the Nation.
Texas needs to get over itself and imorove UH and TT and attract all if those High ROI Texas students that are choosing LSU, Oklahoma and other out of state options…mostly SEC schools
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Blame it on the alumni who treated UH as a safety school and only used it for a college degree and nothing else.
Then they send their kids to other universities as they get older.
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…and then one they use their UH degree to become upper middle class, 1) never give back/support their alma mater while 2) brag about sending their children to a University NOT named the University of Houston.
Making it in life so you dont have to send your children to UH is a status symbol for a large % of our alums.
Yes, its the Elephant in the Room…and its by design.
And YES it’s the kid’s choice but the point is…we aren’t even on their list.
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Blame is meaningless.
Change is what is needed.
Blame does nothing.
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In addition to my earlier post something unusual happened at the UCF game.
Comes the fourth quarter and noticeably a good 5k to 7k fans were no longer in the stands. Did they have enough of their team’s bad play? Hard to know since UCF was in the game and could have won on the last play or at least go into over time. Traffic is more than likely the issue but then why make the game? The game lasted forever and ended close to Saturday.
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What UCF has built is enviable…
I, frankly, don’t know what it would take to build 1/4 of that and try to sustain it because apparently, we have reached similar peaks (Sumlin/Keenum, Herman/Ward yrs), but these have been sporadic & quickly fizzling out.
One thing I noticed is how young UCF’s student body seems to be. At UH, I feel like it’s a hodgepodge of ages (at least when I was attending). Also, the Greek Life at UCF is very in your face with their mansion-looking homes near the stadium, that was impressive to see.
GC you were at the game like I was. What was outstanding to me was the fans engagement and the demographics. The fans body really represented their region. You felt a “home atmosphere” Seeing families with their toddlers, grand parents, teen, students was pretty awesome. Their band and student section excitement is for us to take lesson from.
I mentioned it multiple times now. We have looked at our attendance with the wrong approach.
Houston is full of transplants.
Transplants have children that attend UH.
This is where we have to attack this lack of football game attendance.
2nd generation transplants have graduated from UH.
This is where we have to attack this lack of football game attendance.
Our Alumni office keeps sending us emails about our address.
Our alumni office has to go after all 500-1000 fortune companies in Houston.
I would think that a large number of these transplants work for these companies.
Therefore these companies ought to be our main target to get more fans into TDECU.
A 500-1000 Fortune UH grad is potentially 1 to 2 tickets.
A 500-1000 Fortune student parent is potentially 2 to 3 tickets.
There are multiple High Schools around the greater Houston area. Do we have data on how many of these High School students or their parents that attend our games. This has to change. We represent Houston or we do not. We saw a “community” at the UCF game. There are no excuses on why we can’t do that.
Blaming or looking in the past serves zero purpose. We can’t repeat what does not work. How ironic that we are trying to gain market share in Houston? That is the biggest insult of all and should be answered with a strongest and new approach.
UCF engaged the entire crowd the entire game. As you could see it took efforts but it was very simple and everybody loved it. Even 70’s years old were up jumping. At times it looked closer to a soccer match atmosphere than a football game. I can’t remember an atmosphere like that at TDECU.
I briefly spoke to Eddie Nunez our A.D. after the game and told him to go full speed and to not listen to negative comments. At least he was at the game and saw first hand what the UCF stands looked like. During the game HCWF was looking toward the stands and the student body area. You could tell what he was thinking.
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How many of those children of transplants are traditional, residential students though?
If they are the usual non-traditional commuters simply picking up a few classes on the way to their waitressing, barista, retail, grocery, clerical, or gofer for the trades job, and having no connection to campus life or sports, then they will be no more likely to become fans or attend games than any other similar group of commuters, and likewise won’t care to become such after they graduate.
We really needed that freshman housing mandate.
Whitmire poisoned everything.
You again completely missed the point. Until UH has a traditional campus with bars, restaurants, grocery stores, offices right next to it you have no choice but to think outside the box. Enough with your freshman mandate. There are close to 10k beds on campus more than uta and atm.
The city of Houston has done nothing to revitalize the Third Ward. That is 100% on them and not anybody else. The Third Ward was thriving until the mid 60’s. Then most moved to the burbs. Since then noting has been done. UH can only do so much. Blame who is to be blamed.
Are you neighbors going to the TCU game?
How many in your court house go to UH games?
At my courthouse in Brenham, hardly any; most are fans of other schools, especially UT and aTm.
As for my next door neighbors, the only one into football is a diehard LSU fan.
No interest in UH sports.
As long as those transplant kids are commuters, they are no more likely to become fans than any other commuters.
UCF is a suburban party school with huge Greek life, etc.
Isn’t even located in Orlando city limits.
NOTHING like UH.
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You are making excuses.
Your goal is to at least ask them if they want to go.
Your goal this week at your courthouse is to get five butts into the TCU game.
You can do it law. Are you afraid of the challenge?
Agree with this solution. Our location situation creates unique difficulties that we have to overcome. Our big year this year will bring us better attendance but not till next year. and creating more die hard game day supporters from students will improve our attendance a lot. Thats what BB did, and thats what FB needs to continue to do.
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Many on this board complain. What does complaining do? Nothing. The great news is that we have the opportunity to change it.
Interesting…had never heard that POV of targeting transplants, but you might be on to something.
Hell, even I’m a transplant from the Piney Woods area; no connection to UH prior to me attending (because it was local and the more affordable option at the time).
Yeah, I was surprised to see babies & toddlers at the stadium. Don’t see too many of those at TDECU, then again we’re usually air-frying ourselves under the sun (wonder how UCF’s crowd woulda looked if this game had been at 11am).
idk enough about Orlando’s demographics to be able to confirm, but I’ll take your word. As for UH’s demographics, I feel it’s a microcosmic reflection of Houston’s overall: a big ol’ “wtf is this sh!t” kinda hodgepodge.
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