2008 Woodie Awards
Razorbacks set spring game attendance record
UA Sports Information
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Sports
Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino's Razorback football team played in front of a school-record crowd of 40,200 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium last Saturday in the annual Red-White Spring Football Game.
The excitement of the Petrino Era combined with EAS RazorFest and a picture-perfect day in Northwest Arkansas helped the University of Arkansas blister the previous UA spring game record by nearly 10,000 fans. Prior to last weekend, the UA spring game record was an estimated 30,400 fans for the 1972 spring game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"This was a tremendous response to the new leadership of Head Coach Bobby Petrino," Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. "It speaks to the pride our fans have in our program and the direction we are heading. I was also pleased by the response we received from the faculty who attended Faculty Appreciation Day. The key to the success of our student-centered mission is the partnership we forge with our faculty."
The attendance total of 40,200 ranked seventh nationally in a survey of 2008 spring football game attendances. Arkansas ranked third in the Southeastern Conference trailing only the University of Alabama and the University of Florida.
"I want to thank our fans for coming out in record numbers to support us for the spring game," Petrino said. "The Razorback fans arrived early and stayed throughout the day to support our program. Our goal was to help make the spring game as game-like as we could for our players. The great turnout helped us accomplish that goal. I'm looking forward to continuing to build a spring game tradition and setting records in the years to come."
More than 52,000 fans were estimated to have taken part in a portion of EAS RazorFest and the Red-White Spring Game.
The excitement of the Petrino Era combined with EAS RazorFest and a picture-perfect day in Northwest Arkansas helped the University of Arkansas blister the previous UA spring game record by nearly 10,000 fans. Prior to last weekend, the UA spring game record was an estimated 30,400 fans for the 1972 spring game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"This was a tremendous response to the new leadership of Head Coach Bobby Petrino," Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. "It speaks to the pride our fans have in our program and the direction we are heading. I was also pleased by the response we received from the faculty who attended Faculty Appreciation Day. The key to the success of our student-centered mission is the partnership we forge with our faculty."
The attendance total of 40,200 ranked seventh nationally in a survey of 2008 spring football game attendances. Arkansas ranked third in the Southeastern Conference trailing only the University of Alabama and the University of Florida.
"I want to thank our fans for coming out in record numbers to support us for the spring game," Petrino said. "The Razorback fans arrived early and stayed throughout the day to support our program. Our goal was to help make the spring game as game-like as we could for our players. The great turnout helped us accomplish that goal. I'm looking forward to continuing to build a spring game tradition and setting records in the years to come."
More than 52,000 fans were estimated to have taken part in a portion of EAS RazorFest and the Red-White Spring Game.
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