Have The Hawkeyes Ever Sold Out An Entire Season?

[Fryowa]

…and not only sold it out, but sold out before the start of the season…

Pretty obvious when looking at remaining tix that it’s going to happen. Just singles left for NW, the great weather of September games will take care of SDSU, and the nebraska game is always a fan favorite.

Let’s all remember that Iowa’s success historically is inversely proportional to the level of hype going into the year. This might be bad juju.

 

[Fryowa]

Northwestern just sold out.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Yes, I think we routinely sold out for several years after Kurt's miracle 2002 run. I remember there being waiting lists for season tickets for several years after 2003. They of course jacked the price of tickets way up with the reseating of 2005 and I know the waiting list evaporated once the program reverted to the mean. There was a lot of bellyaching after the Western Michigan game in 2007, but I think we kept robust sales going until the Greg Davis regime began.

I agree with your point that it is better for Iowa to not be ranked going into the year and to have absolutely zero expectations. Expectations plus Iowa football is a fucking recipe for disaster. The 2005 Iowa State game and the 2010 Arizona game are prime examples of early season letdowns with supposedly good Iowa teams.

 

[Fryowa]

Looking back I see the last time all 7 games sold out was 2011, but I don't remember if they sold out before the season or not.

 

[InGoodCo]

Interests is at an all time high, which actually matches Iowa's recent upswing in winning percentage the past few years. Now if Hoops could feel the love. Iowa has way too good of a basketball program to have that place a third full.

 

[racerhawk]

Yes, I think we routinely sold out for several years after Kurt's miracle 2002 run. I remember there being waiting lists for season tickets for several years after 2003. They of course jacked the price of tickets way up with the reseating of 2005 and I know the waiting list evaporated once the program reverted to the mean. There was a lot of bellyaching after the Western Michigan game in 2007, but I think we kept robust sales going until the Greg Davis regime began.

I agree with your point that it is better for Iowa to not be ranked going into the year and to have absolutely zero expectations. Expectations plus Iowa football is a fucking recipe for disaster. The 2005 Iowa State game and the 2010 Arizona game are prime examples of early season letdowns with supposedly good Iowa teams.

I was at both of those games (ISU and the one in Tucson). Brutal!

 

[Fryowa]

Interests is at an all time high, which actually matches Iowa's recent upswing in winning percentage the past few years. Now if Hoops could feel the love. Iowa has way too good of a basketball program to have that place a third full.

Little bit of a different dynamic I think. Football is a major production, once a week in monolithic form, on national TV every game and there is just an indescribable buzz in the air. 70,000 people, probably 120,000 people or more tailgating, the Swarm, the Wave, night games on prime time TV…

Kinnick is known far and wide as an iconic venue and opposing teams fear walking through the gates. Even when you hear interviews from players and coaches of more successful teams they all say without fail that it’s one of the most—if not the most—intimidating venue in college football, certainly in the big ten. No other college football stadium on the planet puts fans literally three feet away from players in the sidelines, and we saw last year during Penn State’s false start fest that it can break anyone’s spirit.

Basketball is different unfortunately. Carver is weird—it’s the Mecca of wrestling and as a venue can’t be matched by any other place anywhere. Not even close. As a basketball venue it’s a total snooze fest. Games take place at really inconvenient times, and there are a ton of them. You don’t get the butterflies walking in like you do at Kinnick or before a wrestling dual. Carver is more about the ice cream and the 80 year olds being mad when people yell or stand. It’s quaint, and to be honest on a winter day when it’s flooded with daylight through the windows it lulls you into sleepiness like a cat lounging in the sun. “Quaint” isn’t the way you want your basketball games to be.

Walking into Duke or Kansas or North Carolina as a basketball fan would be akin to Kinnick football. I know that we can’t compare our history to theirs at all and not everything is based on the venue, but it’s a huge part of it. They need to do something to energize people. Move the students closer and give them free tickets and pizza. Lower the capacity and get a smaller building that’s twice as loud. Something.

I went to 2 basketball games last year, 7 football games, and 6 wrestling duals. Each and every wrestling dual and football game there’s an electric feeling in the air at the start like the place is about to blow sky high. The atmosphere of those two sports is unbelievable. I NEVER got bored of it—not even a little. Basketball I could get bored of attending in person I think, even though I watch every game throughout the season. The environment just isn’t there.

Basketball games feel like you just got to the retirement home to play cribbage with uncle Leroy and there happens to be an Iowa game on his 17” Zenith in the background. I don’t know how to explain it.

 

[dahlhawk]

I think the aftermarket companies are just getting very good at being able to purchase all available tickets for events that have value. Selling out all tickets for events in hours isn't just fan demand, StubHub working with the University is making sure you have to buy them from a secondary market. I wish I could afford season tickets but not this year. i got in on tickets to Nevada but got shut out for all the other games. This is a year I might see a game in Illinois or Minnesota.

 

[Fryowa]

I think the aftermarket companies are just getting very good at being able to purchase all available tickets for events that have value. Selling out all tickets for events in hours isn't just fan demand, StubHub working with the University is making sure you have to buy them from a secondary market. I wish I could afford season tickets but not this year. i got in on tickets to Nevada but got shut out for all the other games. This is a year I might see a game in Illinois or Minnesota.

Get the fight for Iowa pass next year. Way cheaper.

This year it was $300 for all 7 games. Even the cheapest season ticket is way more expensive than that. We tried it last year to see if we liked it and it was great.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Iowa sold out a lot in the Fry years during the eighties. Not sure if there were any preseason sellouts. The stadium was at 60,000 capacity for a long time as well........

Interest in Iowa football is at an all time high.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Get the fight for Iowa pass next year. Way cheaper.

This year it was $300 for all 7 games. Even the cheapest season ticket is way more expensive than that. We tried it last year to see if we liked it and it was great.

could you briefly explain how the fight for Iowa pass works?

 

[Fryowa]

could you briefly explain how the fight for Iowa pass works?

You pay $299, no donation, and you get all 7 home games.

You don't have dedicated seats, the seat location and tickets are emailed to you 48 hours before kickoff. It's 48 hours pretty much on the nose.

However many you buy together will always be seated together. We have 4.

The seats obviously aren't way down low, I'd say most times we're in the upper 1/4th but in my experience there's no bad views in Kinnick. We ended up in the south end zone 4 times last year which is my favorite viewing spot. We got up on the top deck of the north end zone once and the view was way better than I thought it'd be.

If you want to sell them it's not supported on StubHub (they say it will be next year), but all you have to do is text a screenshot to whoever you sell them to. I'll be selling my ISU tickets that way this year.

They're sold out like everything else right now unfortunately. They go on sale in May, and I'd suggest not dawdling if you do it next year...I think they sold out in like a week or week and a half.

Any other questions let me know. We love the mobile passes, if they ever do away with them I won't buy seasons. Way too expensive living 5 1/2 hrs away.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Little bit of a different dynamic I think. Football is a major production, once a week in monolithic form, on national TV every game and there is just an indescribable buzz in the air. 70,000 people, probably 120,000 people or more tailgating, the Swarm, the Wave, night games on prime time TV…

Kinnick is known far and wide as an iconic venue and opposing teams fear walking through the gates. Even when you hear interviews from players and coaches of more successful teams they all say without fail that it’s one of the most—if not the most—intimidating venue in college football, certainly in the big ten. No other college football stadium on the planet puts fans literally three feet away from players in the sidelines, and we saw last year during Penn State’s false start fest that it can break anyone’s spirit.

Basketball is different unfortunately. Carver is weird—it’s the Mecca of wrestling and as a venue can’t be matched by any other place anywhere. Not even close. As a basketball venue it’s a total snooze fest. Games take place at really inconvenient times, and there are a ton of them. You don’t get the butterflies walking in like you do at Kinnick or before a wrestling dual. Carver is more about the ice cream and the 80 year olds being mad when people yell or stand. It’s quaint, and to be honest on a winter day when it’s flooded with daylight through the windows it lulls you into sleepiness like a cat lounging in the sun. “Quaint” isn’t the way you want your basketball games to be.

Walking into Duke or Kansas or North Carolina as a basketball fan would be akin to Kinnick football. I know that we can’t compare our history to theirs at all and not everything is based on the venue, but it’s a huge part of it. They need to do something to energize people. Move the students closer and give them free tickets and pizza. Lower the capacity and get a smaller building that’s twice as loud. Something.

I went to 2 basketball games last year, 7 football games, and 6 wrestling duals. Each and every wrestling dual and football game there’s an electric feeling in the air at the start like the place is about to blow sky high. The atmosphere of those two sports is unbelievable. I NEVER got bored of it—not even a little. Basketball I could get bored of attending in person I think, even though I watch every game throughout the season. The environment just isn’t there.

Basketball games feel like you just got to the retirement home to play cribbage with uncle Leroy and there happens to be an Iowa game on his 17” Zenith in the background. I don’t know how to explain it.

I agree. Football Saturday is an event, not just a game. Plus, there are only 7 home games a year compared to all the basketball games. Also, fall is better weather than winter to travel to for games and many basketball games are at night which deter many going from hours away. It's just different.