Leatherneck Nation

SIU game will be Senior Day.

1) Free admission for all Senior citizens.
2) Reduced admission for any others who show up with non-perishable food items for the local food bank.
3) Work with local food stores to get some Turkeys and have a "Turkey Walk" on the field at halftime. I am sure all of us oldtimers know what a "Cake Walk" is. Turkey walk not much different.

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Well, there you go! Seems like anymore we have to ramp up the "entertainment value" for everything. I do like your ideas - they benefit a lot of folks!

rocki wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2017 12:12 pm Not to look ahead too much, but our last game of the season is at home against SIU; and will be the weekend that most students head home for Thanksgiving break. Wonder if there is anything the athletic department could do to try and generate some extra interest from the local population.

We only have to look at our own history to find an answer.

Back in 2010, the final game of the season was with Northern Iowa. It was on November 20. So the students were on Thanksgiving Break.

Western Athletics really promoted that game: $1 Admission and reduced concession prices. Western Athletics promoted it heavily with alumni and fans who live along the Amtrak route. Fans were able to take the morning train down and then the evening train back north.

The attendance at Hanson Field, with students gone for Thanksgiving Break, was 8,217. Western averaged just over 11,000 fans at home that season.

Western's 30-14 win captured sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Western finished the regular season at 7-4 overall and 5-3 in conference. We got an invite to the 2010 playoffs: winning at Coastal Carolina and losing at Appalachian State.

So what are the chances of them coming up with a plan like this again? I think it would be great!

Why don't you contact the appropriate folks at WIU and ask/share this idea along with your concerns?

Would that be Matt?

I would first start with Darian Westerfield he was brought in to be head of promotions.
d-westerfield@wiu.edu
298-3018

Matt Tanney is Athletic Director
m-tanney@wiu.edu
298-1190

Michael Jones is in charge of Development
m-jones2@wiu.edu
298-1190

I would email all three with your ideas to make sure they can't use the excuse they had no idea.

The person leading that 2010 promotion was Sean McDonough. He was the Asst A.D. in charge of external relations and the Leatherneck Club. He was at Western August 2010 - March 2013. He then went to DePaul where he was the Associate Director of Development for Athletics. In September 2017, he became the Director of Development for Athletics at Loyola.

Eastern Illinois had a crowd of 2,828 yesterday for their home game with Eastern Kentucky.

Could try some piglet races at half-time. Seattle Seahawk fans got a kick out of them. The game result, not so much.

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