Dec. 16, 2002
Football: Youngstown State Ranks Nationally in Attendance Figures
Youngstown -- The Youngstown State football program
ranked fifth nationally in total
attendance (103,046) and was sixth
nationally in average attendance
(17,174) according to the final 2002
NCAA figures released on Monday.
Jackson State ranked first averaging 23,691 fans per game
while Delaware, Montana, Southern
and Florida A&M finished out the top
five. YSU was sixth ahead of North
Carolina A&T, national-finalist
McNeese State, Alcorn State and The
Citadel.
The average of 17,174 was the
second-best single-season average in
the program's 62-year history.
In the total attendance rankings, Montana, McNeese State,
Delaware and Georgia Southern
finished ahead of YSU's 103,046 for
six home dates. Montana's total was
for eight games, including one
playoff contest, McNeese State's was
for eight games, including three
playoff contests and Georgia
Southern's total was for nine games,
including three posteason tilts.
Only Delaware finished higher
playing the same amount of home
contests as the Penguins.
The Penguins were first again in attendance in the Gateway
Football Conference. Since joining
the conference prior to the 1997
season, YSU had led the league in
average attendance every season -- a
span of six years.
This past season, the Penguins were 4-2 and played host to
McNeese State who plays Gateway
member Western Kentucky in the
National Championship game on
Friday.
The 2003 YSU home schedule features conference games against
the Hilltoppers, Western Illinois,
SW Missouri State and Illinois
State. Non-conference games will be
played against Slippery Rock and
Florida Atlantic.
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