RE: Football attendance history
[Gnote: Reposting this here, with additional information and other edits (couldn't find the thread earlier), as it's a better place for it than the HRS/EZF thread.]
Stated capacity of HRS was reduced from 70,000 to 47,000 in 2006.
In addition (subtraction?) to pushing more people toward the middle of the stands, they didn't have to pay for 23,000 seat-equivalents of new aluminum bleachers. All of the remaining redwood was replaced that year.
Rice has played before that 47,000 or more in HRS 49 times since opening day in 1950.
Add another 18 games (total 67) for the games of 40,000 or more.
There have been 9 games that were at capacity or SRO.
7 of those were vs UT (50, 54, 58, 60, 62, 64, 70), one vs SMU (50), and one vs A&M (57).
Opening day was not sold out - "only" 68,000.
Rice has played 409 regular season home games, plus one bowl game ('61 Bluebonnet Bowl) in HRS.
The last time we beat UT was in front of 34,700 in 1994.
7-4 in 1996, our first year in the WAC, before an average home crowd of 20,170.
7-4 in our second year in the WAC, 1997, before an average home crowd of 35,509.
HRS attendance highs starting in 1973 (my first year)...
1973: 50,000 vs UT
1974: 56,500 vs (#13) UT
1975: 67,000 vs (#3) A&M
1976: 57,000 vs (#20) UT
1977: 57,500 vs (#12) A&M, the aforementioned 6,918 @SMU; 1-10 season - we only won the home opener vs Idaho
1978: 62,000 vs (#7) UT
1979: 30,442 vs (#3) Oklahoma, A&M likely higher, but no data found
1980: 63,163 vs (#5) UT
1981: 25,000 vs UH, A&M likely higher, but no data found
1982: 50,000 vs (#15) UT
1983: 40,000 vs A&M
1984: 56,047 vs (#1) UT
1985: 41,195 vs A&M
1986: 31,000 vs UT
1987: 32,500 vs A&M
1988: 35,000 vs UT, 8500 vs UNT at last home game, 0-11 season
1989: 30,900 vs (#21) A&M
1990: 34,800 vs UT
1991: 42,600 vs (#12) A&M
1992: 41,400 vs UT
1993: 46,800 vs (#11) A&M
1994: 34,700 vs (#12) UT
1995: 39,500 vs (#18) A&M, last year in SWC
1996: 23,250 vs (#20) Utah, first year in WAC
1997: 53,811 vs UT (who had just fallen from the rankings (#10) after losing to UCLA; also the last time we played them in HRS); "Operation Sellout" for the opener against Air Force brought in 53,145
1998: 42,674 vs SMU (opening day); avg 22,114; we were 5-6
1999: 44,217 vs Navy
2000: 40,714 vs UH
2001: 29,317 vs Tulsa
2002: 30,747 vs UH
2003: 27,832 vs Navy
2004: 18,407 vs Fresno State (they were #22 in the final AP poll)
Average 13,961 in HRS in 2004. 12,550 for the home year, adding in
the final "home" game before 8,317 vs LaTech in NRG.
Rice was the statistical national rushing champion that year in a 3-8
season.
2005: 12,714 vs Navy; avg 10,072 in a one-win season
2006: 23,352 vs UH; avg 14,760 (four in HRS) in first bowl season of modern era
2007: 21,543 vs Texas Tech; avg 13,353
2008: 35,534 vs UH; avg 20,179 in second bowl season, 10-3 with bowl victory over Western Michigan before 58,880 @NRG
2009: 19,753 vs Vanderbilt
2010: 26,342 vs UH (who were #18), 4-8 season for Rice
2011: 25,317 vs Purdue
2012: 32,718 vs UH
2013: 22,974 vs Kansas; home opener of 10-4 season; drew 20,247 for C-USA championship game vs Marshall
2014: 21,195 vs UTSA
2015: 24,409 vs Army
2016: 27,047 vs (#16) Baylor
2017: 21,766 vs Army
2018: 26,390 vs UH
2019: 20,367 vs Southern Miss
2020: 2,000 vs UAB (COVID)
2021: 26,253 vs UH
2022: 21,926 vs UAB
2023: 23,425 vs UH
UH games are the only ones north of 30k since 2000, with the last above that threshold at 32,718 in 2012.
Nine of the highest-attended games since 2000 have been vs Houston.
The service academies are the next-highest draw since 1999.
Rice rounded the attendance numbers in the early years to the nearest 500 or 100.
Somewhere in there the count went from turnstile to overall sales.
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