Thanks. My prior post asked the question on those years. But it was better than the most current seasons, no?
On Campus Stadium-Pitt's lone solution
- Thread starter Panther Al
- Start date
No, actually it wasn't.
Pitt averaged 46k in their National Championship year of 1976.
Their best year in that era was 1981... when they averaged about 54k (Pitt Stadium held 60k). They had the advantage of playing WVU, ND, *AND* PSU at home that year.
Their best attendance year ever was 2003... in Heinz Field in Larry Fitzgerald's should-have-been-Heisman season. They averaged 55k (Heinz held 65k at the time).
The Cuse game was over Thanksgiving. There weren't any students on campus to go to the game. Even if the stadium was on the Cathedral lawn there wouldn't have been any students there.
For the Cuse game, you are actually right. It was over Thanksgiving however none of the Pitt students live within 30 minutes of Heinz? Is everyone from Phily or NJ? OK, there were no students for the big VT game when Pitt was 5-2 or vs Duke (after we beat Clemson). VT wasn't an attractive game? Nobody was excited after we beat Clemson for the Duke game? What happened to win and they'll come which is more for the non-student fans? I hear a lot of excuses when it comes to Heinz. At the end of the day, its all about recruiting and its very apparent that we aren't getting the 4/5 star players for a reason (I'm talking 8 to 10 per class, per year not 2 or 3 a year). We are stuck in the 6-6, 7-5 and 8-4 zone so something needs to change if you want to compete for championships. Players win in college football.
The point is.... those students that live within 30 miles of Heinz also live within 30 miles of Pitt's campus. An on-campus stadium would have had ABSOLUTELY ZERO impact on student attendance for the Syracuse game.
And really.... what you would gain in student attendance with an on-campus stadium (a couple thousand at best).... you would lose with fans who don't want to sit on cheap bleacher seats or spend an extra hour in traffic each direction.
As for players.... the impact of playing and practicing at the same facilities as the Pittsburgh Steelers more than make up for any loss from playing 3 miles from campus instead of on campus.
Average attendance at Heinz... despite mediocre teams... has been higher than average attendance at Pitt Stadium from 1975 to 1984 - Pitt's heyday.
The proof is already there. We averaged 46k during our National Championship season... with an on-campus stadium. Heinz does not hurt us in attendance or with recruits. At all. It inconveniences the casual student fans, while providing convenience for the casual non-student fans.
Look I get that Pitt is a semi private school and located in an urban area that is land locked. PSU is a state school with a land grant in the middle of freakin nowhere but I for one think Pitt should find a way to build a stadium on or adjacent to the campus.
Pitt drew 50K to 60K as average attendance from 1977 to 1984. Gottfried (sp.?) could have gotten us right back to those numbers, but the academics took over the school when Uncle Wes threw in the towel.
No, Pitt didn't. Pitt didn't average over 50k for any season in that span except 1981.
