UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
ATTENDANCE MATTERS: Despite its on- and off-field troubles, Florida A&M football won its first I-AA
attendance title
according to NCAA figures released last week. The Rattlers, who
finished 3-8 after a brief flirtation with a jump to Div. IA that wreaked
havoc on its schedule, had a jump of 4,287 fans per game up to an average
of 25,609 fans for its five home games in 2004 to finish just ahead
of Southern (23,048 per game). The two led five black colleges that finished in the top ten.
Alcorn State was fifth (17,684 per game),
Grambling State was sixth (16,663 per game) while
Tennessee State (14,811) was tenth. Nine other black colleges made the top 50.
On the Div. II level, SIAC champion Albany State benefitted from its new stadium and an undefeated regular season that helped the Golden Rams finish second behind North Dakota State. ASU averaged 11,882 fans for its four home games, a figure that was up an average of 3,051 fans. SIAC runner-up Tuskegee was third with an average of 10,909 fans for its five home dates. Miles (10,222 per game) was fifth while North Carolina Central (7,949 per game) was tenth. Three other HBCUs finished in the top 20.
On the conference level, the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) captured its 27th straight I-AA title. The SWAC is the only league to win since the NCAA began keeping I-AA attendance leaders in 1978. SWAC teams averaged 11,600 fans per game. The Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) was second averaging 10,424 per game. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) took its second consecutive Div. II title, averaging 6,889 fans per game for its nine members. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) was fifth at 4,653 per game.
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.