Bleachers From City Will Increase University Stadium Capacity to More Than 40,000
July 27, 2004
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The city of Albuquerque is providing the University of New Mexico with bleachers for use at University Stadium starting with the 2004 football season Mayor Martin Chavez announced today. The bleachers will be installed at the south end of the stadium.
While the exact number of seats being added is not yet available, capacity at University Stadium is expected to exceed 40,000. The current seating capacity is 37,370. The bleachers were previously used for events at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Mayor Chavez and University of New Mexico director of athletics Rudy Davalos said 500 tickets a game in the bleacher seats will be given away to underprivileged youth. Ticket prices for the bleachers have not been determined, but they will be general admission seats.
“I am very excited that the University of New Mexico and the city can partner in this wonderful endeavor to help families enjoy Lobo football,” said Mayor Chavez. “It appears these bleachers are needed to accommodate the growing number of UNM fans, too.”
“This is a great way of partnering with the city,” said Davalos. “We really apppreciate the mayor’s assistance in making this possible. The real beneficiaries are the kids who will be able to attend the games. We’re glad to make this possible.”
“We’re extremely grateful to Mayor Chavez and the city for providing the additional seats,” said Lobos head coach Rocky Long. “I’m all for anything we can do to get more people in the stadium and make it a more hostile environment for the visiting team. Hopefully, we’re cultivating a lot of future Lobos in the process.”
Buoyed by three straight winning seasons and consecutive bowl-game appearances for the first time in more than 50 years, the Lobos have averaged more than 30,000 fans a game since the 2001 season.
UNM set school records for single-game attendance (44,075 for New Mexico State), season attendance (245,891) and average attendance (35,127) in 2003.
New Mexico averaged 94% of capacity at University Stadium last year, which ranked sixth nationally among schools with stadiums that seat fewer than 50,000 fans. Over the past three years, UNM has increased its average capacity percentage by nearly 20 points. During the 2000 season, University Stadium was 76% full on average.
Through Monday, July 26, UNM had sold 12,134 season tickets, which is nearly 800 more than at the same time last year. A school-record 14,801 season tickets were sold in 2003.
The Lobos open their 106th season on Friday, Sept. 3, against Washington State. Kickoff is 6 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN.