Thanks, and See you at Arrowhead
Oct. 30, 2007
Dear Jayhawk Fans:
What a Fall it has been on the football gridiron! Coach Mark Mangino, his staff and players have already given us a season’s worth of outstanding plays and memories. And you, the fans, have shown your dedication in record numbers.
Nowhere has this loyalty been more in evidence than on Saturday, October 13. The game that day against Baylor was delayed twice by weather that can only be described as horrible. Driving rain, thunder and lightning made it a harrowing few hours for all of us. Yet when the storms had passed and the sun returned, just in time to see John Riggins added to the Ring of Honor, an impressive number of fans remained in Memorial Stadium, cheering the action on Kivisto Field.
On behalf of all of us at Kansas Athletics, I want to thank you for the dedication and support you showed that day and on every game day this season. That is just the kind of support football – and all of our sports – deserve as they strive to remain “major players” in the Big 12 Conference and on the national scene.
We have several important football games between now and the end of the regular season, not the least of which is the Border Showdown vs. Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium. As we get ready to distribute the tickets, we would like to review with you some relevant points about that game.
We have discussed many times the factors that helped us decide to play the next two KU-Missouri games in Arrowhead. Financially, of course, this is a ‘touchdown’ for Kansas Athletics. The Kansas City Chiefs guaranteed both schools a minimum of $1 million each per year, which is roughly $1 million per school more than we would have earned if the games had been played on campus.
Also important is the fact that our players loved their experience in Arrowhead two seasons ago vs. Oklahoma. Our coaches and players tell us that playing the game there is a recruiting tool, meaning that it’ll be good for the long-term health of KU’s football program. We also have more than 60,000 alumni in the Kansas City area; bringing a game closer to them also fits with KU’s plan to maintain a constant presence in Kansas City.
And don’t forget: Next year, instead of traveling to Columbia, KU fans will be just a short drive away from this outstanding matchup.
Some things to remember about seating in Arrowhead:
1) This is not “like the KU/OU game in 2005”. For that game we were the home team and controlled most of the venue. For this game, while we are still considered the “home team,” we are seating this venue as a neutral site. This means that the stadium has been divided in half with each team having access to approximately half of the venue. (The Kansas City Chiefs also retained some lower-level seats.) The split was made on the 50-yard line.
2) KU received 13,500 seats in the lower bowl. From that number we allocated seats for player-guests, coaches, students and the band.
3) We “hand allocated” accounts with 850 points or greater. We looked at their Kivisto Field locations and tried to duplicate them in Arrowhead.
4) Large ticket orders were seated just like they were handled during select-a-seat. They received 12 tickets at their point level, and the rest of their order was seated immediately after all other donors were seated.
5) Our experience after the KU/OU game was that the vast number of donors told us that they would rather have a “100 level” ticket (lower bowl) than a “300 level” ticket – no matter where the lower-bowl ticket was, even if the “300 level” ticket was on the 50-yard line.
6) Large groups were seated just like they are at Kivisto Field. These are different than the large ticket orders – they are groups of season ticket-holders who pool their points and are seated on the average point total of the group. All group members were seated when the group’s point average was reached.
Again, we want to thank you for your support of all our teams. We look forward to seeing you at all our venues – and at Arrowhead Stadium – in the near future.
Sincerely,
Lew Perkins
Director of Athletics
