Troy Football Welcoming Record Crowds

Tucked away in small pocket of southeast Alabama is the quaint town of Troy. Home to 19,000 residents and Troy University, the small southern town and its Veterans Memorial Stadium have hosted some of the largest crowds in Troy University and Sun Belt Conference history in 2017.

The Vet, as it is becoming to be known, has opened its gates three times so far during the 2017 season and has welcomed a record number of fans. Troy has averaged 27,271 fans at The Vet this season with the largest, third-largest and eighth-largest crowds in stadium history.

"It has been very positive and there are several reasons for that," Troy Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said. "It all starts with having success – winning football games and people getting excited about what's happening in the program is a big piece of it.

"There is also a lot of preparation that's gone into trying to create the right environment and then marketing our program," McClain said. "We've made some changes over the past 12 months that have helped us become more visible in our area, and I think that combined with the winning effort has allowed us to really move the needle as far as attendance is concerned."

Troy fans have filled The Vet to 90.9 percent capacity this season, which is the second-best mark among the Group of Five conferences for stadiums that hold more than 25,000 people; only the Naval Academy has a better mark (100.3 percent). Fans set records at The Vet last season for total attendance and per-game attendance – Troy totaled 135,203 fans for the season and 22,534 per game.

It started with the home opener against Alabama State as a Veterans Memorial Stadium record crowd of 29,278 packed the stands to watch the Trojans for the first time since a 10-win 2016 season that was capped by a Dollar General Bowl title.

The crowd broke the previous mark of 29,013 that witnessed Troy nearly upset Mississippi State on Sept. 15, 2012.

Following its Sun Belt opener at New Mexico State, Troy returned to The Vet for a non-conference matchup against Akron and the Trojan faithful once again turned out in overwhelming numbers.

"We don't have the population base in town to pull from that many of our peers enjoy and it says a lot about our fans that they are willing to make plans and drive two or three hours to be here on gameday," McClain said.

Attendance at The Vet was 27,342 against the Zips, an opponent who brought just a handful of fans of their own. It ranks as the third-largest crowd in stadium history, ahead of such games as the 2004 win over Missouri and the 2003 victory over Marshall.

"We have two really key groups," McClain said. "One is our core longtime season ticket holders who have been with us through thick and thin, and the other is our students. Our student turnout has been phenomenal. You can put us up against any campus in the country when it comes to the percentage of students who come to games compared to the total student body. It's not just them showing up, they've been into the games and haven't been sitting on their hands. They've made a difference and it's been a huge help for our team."

The most impressive number of them all might have been Troy's last home game against South Alabama. Yes, it was against an in-state rival and yes it came following Troy's monumental victory at LSU. But, it was on a Wednesday night for a fan base that has a considerable number of fans that must travel from out of town for a game.

What transpired was the largest crowd for a Sun Belt Conference game on a Tuesday or Wednesday night in at least the past seven years. Official attendance for the "Battle for the Belt" was 25,211, which ranks as the third-largest mid-week game in the Sun Belt over the past seven years – the other two were on a more traditional Thursday night and ironically both featured Troy as the visiting team.

"We're thrilled and really thankful," McClain said. "It's obvious that people are really supporting this program, these student-athletes, our coaches and the University. It takes effort to come to the game and to come to campus. It's really rewarding to see that many people in the stands who are focused on what the program is doing, and I'm very thankful for those who are coming out to the games."

Now the challenge for Troy and the Trojan faithful is to continue that effort through the final three games of the season.

"Homecoming is a great opportunity for many people who don't come back but once a year to see what we are building here," McClain said. "We've got Thursday and Friday games that are challenges in a lot of ways, but we saw last Wednesday night what it can be.

"If our folks get excited about what we're doing, we've got a chance to really smash some records from an attendance standpoint, and I think that speaks volumes to where we are at as a program, especially when it comes to some mid-week games that make this challenging."

Troy travels to Atlanta on Saturday for a Sun Belt matchup against Georgia State where there is sure to be a large Trojan contingent in the stands. Homecoming at The Vet takes place the following Saturday when Troy hosts Georgia Southern on Oct. 28 at 2:30 p.m.

Troy University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos