Everybody is complaining about our attendance. Let me ask you where is our attendance ceiling?
To measure it, we have to look back at yesterday, understand today, and think about what lies ahead.
As an independent program, we were starting to make national headlines. We were beating blue bloods. In 1966, we finished 8–2 and ranked 17th in the country, regularly drawing crowds of over 40,000. But then came our first probation, making us ineligible for two seasons — a massive blow to a rising program. It killed our first wave of momentum. On top of that we were an independent.
During the 1960s and 1970s, our independent record was on par with Notre Dame and peennentatiary state. Then we joined the Southwest Conference — and immediately won it. Everything pointed upward again. Then, just one year after joining, we were hit with another probation. Momentum killer number two.
Despite that setback, we finished 11–1 in 1979 and ranked fifth nationally. Yet the lingering shadow of NCAA sanctions created negative perceptions for anyone considering playing for us. Imagine that — two crushing setbacks in a decade. What does that do to a program, to its fan base, to its local community?
A few years later, reports surfaced of recruiting violations under Coach Bill Yeoman. That became momentum killer number three. Yeoman was forced out, and Coach Jack Pardee stepped in. After leading us to a 9–3 season, we were hit again — our third probation. That’s right: an average of one every ten years. It was 1989, and momentum killer number four was in full swing.
For the second time, I’ll ask: What does that do to an entire community — to Houstonians and alumni who kept believing?
And yet, despite all that, Andre Ware won the Heisman Trophy — literally behind closed doors. Head Coach Jack Pardee, reading the corrupt ncaa and its alliance with uta left for the Oilers. With a reduced roster and an uphill recruiting battle, we still finished 10–1 in 1990. But with no players eager to join a sanctioned program, the roster began to implode.
Then came 1996. The Southwest Conference dissolved, and we were left on the outside, landing in Conference USA. That was momentum killer number five.
While in C-USA, Coach Sumlin left for atm — momentum killer number six. Then came the loss of “Judas” to uta — momentum killer number seven.
Don’t you find it ironic that the two biggest Texas universities would “poach” our Head Football Coach? Coincidence? You decide.
And yet, here we are — back in a power conference, entering our third season, and already on our second head coach. Despite seven major disruptions in six decades, we still draw 28,000 fans to an 11 a.m. kickoff.
Would I love a sellout every time? Of course. We all would. But before we point fingers at the fans, alumni, or the broader Houston community, let’s stop and reflect on what this program has endured since the mid-1960s.
During that same time, Texas was put on probation once — for the exact same violations — and was still allowed on television.
So I ask again: Where is our attendance ceiling? Maybe the real question is, how high could it be if we’d ever been given a fair chance to build — and keep — momentum?
The best chance that we have had since the mid 60’s is our current Head Coach. In many ways we have come full circle. We are today independent of uta and atm. With the NIL we have the best chance at winning a National Championship. We are getting our best recruiting class since the mid 80’s.
This current momentum is for real friends
If we can sustain what we are doing now next year we’ll be selling out most games. We have a base attendance of 30k, which is much better than our AAC days. We are slowly building up to our stadium capacity, but the team needs to win for a few seasons before it becomes a “thing” to go and stay at the games. The team has been too inconsistent the last 30 years to build a winning culture where people show up no matter what.
A teetech alum and coach told me a few years back that U of H should hire HCWF. This was a few years back…
HCWF is the best thing that has happened since HCBY.
Our ceiling is roughly 42,000. I forget the exact capacity number of TDECU.
I will add something else. The problem is really the alumni, the students this season have been OUTSTANDING, and the future is bright with the newer generations actually caring about the games. Yesterday was the outlier, but it really was hard to gauge if they were all there because so many were sheltering in the concourse.
This momentum is building. We are at 42k for full capacity but can you imagine with HCWF what our tickets demand will be in say five years from now? That is exciting.
Again reread what we have endured since the 60’s and combine it with the fact that we are in pro sports city. I am hugely optimistic that we are on the best trajectory since the 60’s.
I’m optimistic too. A good 5 years of playing well enough to be in the running for conference championships can sustain a culture of attendance in the long term. I’ve always been a proponent that we just need to string a few good winning seasons to keep the alumni and other locals interested.
That’s what I was thinking.
We just have to convert those students into alumni season ticket holders. I don’t know if there are statistics on that but that’s what we need. Of course, anyone who is part of the rabid student section that moves out of town after graduation will be unlikely to become a season ticket holder, it is what can we do to make sure those that stay convert and stick with it. I do know we have the young alumni sections with better pricing, which helps but it still is something you have to work on. Obviously for football, there’s plenty of seat supply so the demand could be filled. That supply vs demand issue is going to be much harder for basketball, I wonder if that can be used as an advantage… like young alumni who maintains football season tickets gets a better chance at getting basketball season tickets. Just throwing that out there as a brainstorm (or brain fart as it might be).
Tweleven.
Well, let’s see…… if we are undefeated late in the year, it is a night game against a hated opponent, the weather is cool and clear ……maybe 40K.
I could be wrong, but being a season ticket holder is largely a generational thing
Unless your parents are season ticket holders, it’s really hard to get new holders that are really young
I’m a Texans season ticket holder, but my dad has had them since the beginning of the franchise and passed them down to me
45,000. Anything else is a pipedream. Just too much to do in this city, so many options. I laugh when people talk of expansion to 60,000. That is not who we are.
Give me bathrooms on the second story, shade from the sun, and natural grass.
30k is a pipe dream, 5-1 Big 12 team. Excuse U.
We are already above 30k average for the season so far lol what are you on about
Granted, this is ridiculously premature, but if Keisean Henderson has the “it” factor we think he does, he, himself, may provide a boost in UH’s attendance. There are very few players that are “must see”, but if the Henderson snowball keeps rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger, UH has a gold mine in its backyard. If UH wins with Henderson at QB, I could see UH promoting Henderson as a Heisman candidate. UH did that with Ware and Klingler, but the marketing is so different today from back then, with NIL and social media. For his part, Henderson seems to have a great personality and companies would flock to him for NILs.
Henderson has the potential to bring a major boost to UH’s attendance.
There are not a lot of diehards that started attending games in their 30s most started as students, that is why student engagement is so important, but it is why it takes time. Trying to get Alumni who have never had season tickets to engage is a losing proposition, you have to keep the Alumni engaged.
As far as our attendance ceiling goes, it depends on the opponent, but if we are talking season ticket holders + students we are probably talking 30k if the athletic department opens up their hold back tickets, 25k if they sell what they currently allocate to season tickets. The problem we have is there are sections of the stadium no one should have to sit in week in and week out and there are prime sections that are sold out for season tickets but have plenty of single game tickets available.
I know Baylor’s stadium was 3x what ours costs, but they have an entire upper concourse with vendors and restrooms making the 300s much more manageable. I have sat in our 300s once and would never do it again.
Kick the Texans to St Louis and see what happens to attendance
SRO of 44,000 showed up in 2016 for Louisville.
That is our ceiling.
At present we seem to be averaging about 34,000.