From a student’s perspective

[bobongo]

I know what he said. And it’s not accurate.

What's not accurate about it? Are there not more out-of-state and foreign students now than then? If you're saying the word "lot" is inaccurate, that's too nebulous a term to be labeled such. You could easily say there are fewer now but still a "lot" who do care. That's what he said. Not too hard to understand.

 

[Vespidae]

What's not accurate about it? Are there not more out-of-state and foreign students now than then? If you're saying the word "lot" is inaccurate, that's too nebulous a term to be labeled such. You could easily say there are fewer now but still a "lot" who do care. That's what he said. Not too hard to understand.

OK. There are more foreign students. But there are more GA students too. The ratio of GA students to all other is 60%, which is about right.

 

[JacketOff]

As someone who was actually there, yes .. fans left the stadium. They usually do. Why? They move two blocks away to celebrate. It’s not like they drove back to Birmingham. They partied en masse until 4 in the morning. I know - I watched it.

I understand that. But Auburn is a prototypical college town, which I understand is what you said you wish Tech had. But since there’s really nothing else in Auburn besides the university, everything around the city will be AU centered. Same with UGAg and Athens, Clemson, FSU, Tuscaloosa, etc. I mean, it would be awesome if Peachtree and North Ave. were loaded with GT oriented bars, but because Atlanta has way more to do than just GT.

But since this thread is about the student section, I will say that those Auburn students probably didn’t leave to celebrate. They left to get drunk at the bars, regardless of whether they won or lost. Honestly, of the students I know that go to the big southeastern schools i.e: GT, UGA, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Clemson, South Carolina, Miss St., UGA’s are the most fanatic about their program winning. The others obviously enjoy winning, but UGA’s are above and beyond everyone else. I believe the biggest reasons for this is that UGA’s in state student population is much higher than the others, and also UGA has not been in the national spotlight for this many years consecutively since the 80s. UGA obviously has always had a large fan base, but their recent success has done nothing but increase it.

 

[Vespidae]

I understand that. But Auburn is a prototypical college town, which I understand is what you said you wish Tech had. But since there’s really nothing else in Auburn besides the university, everything around the city will be AU centered. Same with UGAg and Athens, Clemson, FSU, Tuscaloosa, etc. I mean, it would be awesome if Peachtree and North Ave. were loaded with GT oriented bars, but because Atlanta has way more to do than just GT.

But since this thread is about the student section, I will say that those Auburn students probably didn’t leave to celebrate. They left to get drunk at the bars, regardless of whether they won or lost. Honestly, of the students I know that go to the big southeastern schools i.e: GT, UGA, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Clemson, South Carolina, Miss St., UGA’s are the most fanatic about their program winning. The others obviously enjoy winning, but UGA’s are above and beyond everyone else. I believe the biggest reasons for this is that UGA’s in state student population is much higher than the others, and also UGA has not been in the national spotlight for this many years consecutively since the 80s. UGA obviously has always had a large fan base, but their recent success has done nothing but increase it.

Maybe. But I will say there is a goal to engage. Auburn wants people to buy tickets, attend the game, AND stay and spend money in the town.

 

[bobongo]

OK. There are more foreign students. But there are more GA students too. The ratio of GA students to all other is 60%, which is about right.

Well he said there were fewer but still a "lot" (relative, nebulous term) who care. Not as many as before, but still a lot. Seems reasonable to me. He didn't say anything inaccurate.

 

[Swarm_764]

The type of student attending Georgia Tech is different then it was even 4 years ago. Things have changed, even if the in-state ratio has remained relatively similar.

As far as renewed energy in the student body, I think a lot of it comes back to the increased social media presence, new Adidas contract, reengagement with former players/celebrities, etc. I know we all love to talk about how these positively affect recruiting, but people forget that students and young fans are of a similar age and get excited about the same stuff. My freshmen year, I couldn't even buy a real GT football jersey. Now students can check twitter for hype videos and uniform drops, buy all kinds of Adidas swag in the bookstore, and watch clips of practice footage in preparation for games every week. Record aside, students are more connected with the team than ever.

I also know TStan and CGC are making serious efforts to better relations with greek organizations and other clubs on campus. For example, GCG was in the back of the Wreck for the Mini 500 this year waving and cheering with students. A coach never did this my first 3 years. Hopefully, this pays dividends in the future by creating a young, active fan base of alumni that continue to support the program well into the future.

 

[Ramblin Wreckt]

So we’re 2-6, our offense is anemic, our play calling is questionable, we have no reliable kicking game, and luck doesn’t ever seem to bounce our way this year (with the exception of Miami). There’s plenty of reasons to be upset with the way the season is going, but being upset with the current state of our program and coming on this site to disparage Collins is not the correct mindset to have during this rebuild.

I’m a 3rd year student and diehard follow of the program. I’ve seen firsthand the buzz on campus about this team on a day-to-day basis that doesn’t even come close to what it was like my first two years with CPJ at the helm (no disrespect to him, CPJ was great in his own way). But from strictly an excitement point of view, Collins has done what I thought was impossible: excite current GT students about football. Last year, we were a win away from playing in the ACC championship, and students here couldn’t have cared less. Collins has done an outstanding job of jumpstarting a program that was on life support with its own students.

Everything I’ve said so far should be apparent to most people, but now let’s talk about results on the field. It sucks that we suck this year. But if we make 3-4 more plays in that Pitt game, our acc championship hopes would be alive going into the 10th week of the season. Collins and co have proven to make some questionable decisions when it comes to play calling, game management, and personnel on the field, but we have to keep in mind that the coaching staff is working with players that are simply not going to compete at an elite level this year. The missed passes, dropped catches, and blown assignments hurt to watch, but once Collins’ recruits come in and fill those holes, this program is going to take off. The staff is trying to be as creative as possible to squeak out wins with the current talent they have, and i think if you look at it like that, Collins has done at outstanding job.

As a student here, I couldn’t be happier with the progress we’ve made this year. Earlier on, I was one of those ignorant fools who thought we’d win 6+ games in 2019, and even though I was way off, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how hard the players fight every game, and how supportive most students have been during the rebuild. Hopefully during my 5th (maybe 6th) year at GT, Collins will be fielding a team that can go out there and be a top 10-15 program, and continue that success into the future. My message to all of you is this: stay positive, continue to give your support, and know that Collins is instilling real change at this Institute.

I agree with most of this. Keep up the enthusiasm, we need it, thank you sir or ma'am.

&

THWg

 

[Vespidae]

Well he said there were fewer but still a "lot" (relative, nebulous term) who care. Not as many as before, but still a lot. Seems reasonable to me. He didn't say anything inaccurate.

Let’s state it another way. Are there more total students at Tech today vs. say, 1985? Yes. Has the percentage of students of instate vs out of state changed? No.

So the claim that more foreign students drives lower student attendance isn’t accurate.

 

[Animal02]

Preach it brother. If only our most negative and annoying posters would take your message to heart.

Never saw that complaint the last 11 years.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I understand that. But Auburn is a prototypical college town, which I understand is what you said you wish Tech had. But since there’s really nothing else in Auburn besides the university, everything around the city will be AU centered. Same with UGAg and Athens, Clemson, FSU, Tuscaloosa, etc. I mean, it would be awesome if Peachtree and North Ave. were loaded with GT oriented bars, but because Atlanta has way more to do than just GT.

But since this thread is about the student section, I will say that those Auburn students probably didn’t leave to celebrate. They left to get drunk at the bars, regardless of whether they won or lost. Honestly, of the students I know that go to the big southeastern schools i.e: GT, UGA, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Clemson, South Carolina, Miss St., UGA’s are the most fanatic about their program winning. The others obviously enjoy winning, but UGA’s are above and beyond everyone else. I believe the biggest reasons for this is that UGA’s in state student population is much higher than the others, and also UGA has not been in the national spotlight for this many years consecutively since the 80s. UGA obviously has always had a large fan base, but their recent success has done nothing but increase it.

The mutts haven't ALWAYS had a large fan base. In the 60s they played at least one double-header at Grant Field. I would assume that was because Grant Field was bigger than Sanford and Son stadium at that time, and they knew they could get more fans to attend if they played a game in Atlanta.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

The announced attendance of 41,219 was beneath the attendance for last year’s homecoming game, an October 13 loss to Duke, when attendance was 41,709. That figure was the lowest for a homecoming game since 1994, when homecoming was celebrated on the second-to-last game of a season in which coach Bill Lewis was fired the previous week.


Link
https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/notes-from-georgia-tech-loss-pittsburgh/Dl8wWdOpwJFW8sP8U8b79I/

The only reason it was as high as it was in 1994 was because of people celebrating that he was fired.

 

[coldbeer]

its from the ramblinwreck website. i added the links for the source. doesnt say if paid or actual

Tickets distributed..

Not tickets sold, not fannies in the seats.

The way all major college and pro teams announce attendance.


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[Heisman's Ghost]

The problem is defining a down year for programs.... For Example a 7 win season is good at Georgia Tech.... but a down year at Georgia & Alabama..... 7 wins for Arkansas & Vandy is a solid season....

I disagree that it is a myth about attendance. South Carolina sells out that damn Williams Brice Stadium no matter what. That program is the very definition of consistent mediocrity and yet the fans pile in. Kentucky is the same way. On the other hand you have Duke and Vanderbilt that can't get fans into their stadium if they were giving away tickets. If we are getting 40,000 or so in a losing season with as bad an offense as we have that is not too shabby. The question is whether or not the fans will stay loyal though another losing season next year which is entirely possible.

 

[coldbeer]

Good news: Student section is more full then last year.

Bad news: Still not anywhere near full, even in the North end zone.

Source - I have lower West season tix in the corner, but always sit in the top part of the Lower North (Student Section seats) under the overhang with my kids. Good rows still available.

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[Heisman's Ghost]

OK. There are more foreign students. But there are more GA students too. The ratio of GA students to all other is 60%, which is about right.

I am surprised that the ratio of Georgia students to all others is that high. It seems that there are more students at Tech now than there were a generation ago but I would not have figures off the top of my head. When I was a young boy going to the games with my parents in the early and mid 1960s there were probably about 6,000 or so students at Tech but Grant Field was just about always a sell out at 59,000 and it was really loud. Back then, if you wanted to watch big time college football you pretty much had to go to the game and tickets for big games were hard to come by. If Tech was playing Auburn, Tennessee, Clemson, UGA, or Alabama you could just about forget it. There was usually only one or two games on a week. Always big games but still only one or two and that was it. My dad was always in a hurry to get home after the Tech game to watch the "Game of the Week" as it was called. Now Tech alumni all over the country can watch their team in any number of ways. Amazing.

 

[GTonFowlerSt]

I want to hear it: what can we be doing better as alumni?

As a suggestion to the mods: I want to hear what the students think about alumni engagement. Mute all the old crabby people that are supporting this program no matter what.

I want to hear about what we could be doing more to improve the collegiate experience. Both in terms of funding and donation, but also in terms of activity / effort.

First off, I want to thank all of you guys for posting so much in my thread. You’ve been my entertainment all afternoon haha. I think it’s awesome that y’all are so passionate about Tech football and want to know how y’all as alumni can help. As a student, the way I see it, I think the two biggest things are 1) social media presence and 2) being supportive of the CGC and TStan.

Social media has become HUGE in recruiting, as most of y’all already know. I follow all of the recruiting very closely. We have Tech supporters that are pretty active when it comes to liking and commenting on recruit’s posts, but there’s fierce competition in this arena with other schools. Recruits and just kids in general pay attention to this stuff. They want to feel as if they’re wanted and accepted by the fan base and the school that is offering them a scholarship. My advice would be to create a Twitter account and follow all the recruits in the 2020/21 class that we’re going for, and like/comment on their posts. Make them know that Tech is their home and they have our support.

I know not all of you approve of the job CGC and TStan have done, but I promise you I’ve seen a tangible difference since I’ve been on campus compared to the old guys. They’re gonna get this done. They will. Give em your support, be willing to accept uniform changes, loud rap music in the stadium, all the talk/hype on social media, and whatever else that seems like all talk and no walk. They have a plan. They’re gonna stick to the plan. I have full faith as a student and so should you as alumni.

Y’all are awesome, keep posting/arguing in here. I love it

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

First off, I want to thank all of you guys for posting so much in my thread. You’ve been my entertainment all afternoon haha. I think it’s awesome that y’all are so passionate about Tech football and want to know how y’all as alumni can help. As a student, the way I see it, I think the two biggest things are 1) social media presence and 2) being supportive of the CGC and TStan.

Social media has become HUGE in recruiting, as most of y’all already know. I follow all of the recruiting very closely. We have Tech supporters that are pretty active when it comes to liking and commenting on recruit’s posts, but there’s fierce competition in this arena with other schools. Recruits and just kids in general pay attention to this stuff. They want to feel as if they’re wanted and accepted by the fan base and the school that is offering them a scholarship. My advice would be to create a Twitter account and follow all the recruits in the 2020/21 class that we’re going for, and like/comment on their posts. Make them know that Tech is their home and they have our support.

I know not all of you approve of the job CGC and TStan have done, but I promise you I’ve seen a tangible difference since I’ve been on campus compared to the old guys. They’re gonna get this done. They will. Give em your support, be willing to accept uniform changes, loud rap music in the stadium, all the talk/hype on social media, and whatever else that seems like all talk and no walk. They have a plan. They’re gonna stick to the plan. I have full faith as a student and so should you as alumni.

Y’all are awesome, keep posting/arguing in here. I love it

I have no problem with any of the things you ask us to be willing to accept except the constant, totally unnecessary, and non-Tech-related uniform changes. Get rid of all the damn navy blue.

 

[coldbeer]

GTonFowlerSt - curious, what is your Twitter handle?

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[GTonFowlerSt]

GTonFowlerSt - curious, what is your Twitter handle?

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Haha dm me and I’ll tell you

 

[bobongo]

The announced attendance of 41,219 was beneath the attendance for last year’s homecoming game, an October 13 loss to Duke, when attendance was 41,709. That figure was the lowest for a homecoming game since 1994, when homecoming was celebrated on the second-to-last game of a season in which coach Bill Lewis was fired the previous week.


Link
https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/notes-from-georgia-tech-loss-pittsburgh/Dl8wWdOpwJFW8sP8U8b79I/

If those are the official numbers, then those are the numbers. But I believe there were more actual butts in the seats this year by at least 5,000 (FWIW).