-SPORTS
• a
Sales dwindle for student football tickets
Demand declines
over past decade
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reporter
Fewer students will be yelling “Go
Big Red” in the Memorial Stadium
stands this season.
The Nebraska tickcloffice reported
earlier this week that 7,500 student
football tickets have been sold this
year, down from 8-,000 sold last year.
This year’s decline continues the
trend of dwindling student ticket sales
at Nebraska, but Joe Sclig, Nebraska
athletic ticket manager, said declin
ing sales were not just hitting the
Nebraska athletic department'
“There’s been a constant decline
(in sales) over the past 10 years,”
Sclig said. “But I think it’s something
other schools arc experiencing.”
In 1983,15,400 Nebraska students
purchased football tickets; Since 1988,
student ticket sales at Nebraska have
i
dropped from 1(),7(X) to the present
figure of7,500. The trend was similar
at Oklahoma, where in the same five
year-period sales dropped from 8,739
to 6,(XX).
However, student ticket sales at
Colorado have nearly doubled. Ticket
sales numbered 8,7(X) in 1988 and
have increased to 14,(XX) for the last
three years.
Sclig said it was hard to give any
specific reasons why student ticket
sales have dropped, but he offered
some speculations.
“Nowadays, I think you have more
students working their way through
school, and Saturday is a prime day
for employment,” he said. “1 think
that’s had an effect.
“I also think there’s more corn pe
tition for the entertainment dollar than
there was a few years ago.”
This year, student ticket prices were
raised to S8 apiece for six home dates
for a loud of S48. Last season, tickets
cost $7 for seven home games, a total
of S49. The last price increase oc
currcd in 1984 when ticket prices
increased to S7 from S6.
Sclig said he thought ticket prices
weren’t a factor in sales because the
price had been constant throughout
the decline. -
Student tickets left unsold will be
made available loihe general public,
Sclig said.
About 1,500 tickets were left for
the Cornhuskers’ first two games
against Utah Sept. 5 and Middle Ten
nessee State Sept. 12, Sclig said
enough single-game ticket requests
I
wwi miwurMjn
had been received lo sell out the rest
of the home games.
Sclig said it was hard to tell if the
trend had sfowed in recent years.
“We’d certainly hope so," he said.
“The drop the last two'years has been
less, so we hope it’s slowing down.”
Nebraska's season ticket sales to students have dropped from 15,400 tickets sold in 1983 to 7,500 this
year. A five-year look at student ticket sales at Nebraska and two comparable Big Eight schools, Colorado
and Oklahoma: I 111 i p1 1 i
run— I _ *
Nebraska outside hitter Debbie Brand practices in the NU Coliseum Thursday afternoon. Brand, a native of Adelaide,
Australia, is one of three seniors on the Cornhuskers’ roster.
Volleyball senior set to expand role
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter
Three years ago, Nebraska vol
leyball coach Terry Pcitit found a
special brand of player when he
looked oulsidc his usual Midwest
ern recruiting area.
What he ended up with was
Australia native Debbie Brand, who
became the Comhuskers’ first-ever
foreign player when she signed with
Nebraska in 1989.
Brand, with Stephanie Thaler
and Eileen Shannon, isoncol lhrec
seniors on the Nebraska roster this
season.
She said she was prepared to be
a major contributor on a team that
has won 16 consecutive Big Eight
Conference titles and is a national
championship contender this sea
son.
Brand’s role for the Huskcrs in
the past three years has been com
ing off the bench in critical situa
tions “to try to get the team going
and come in if somebody’s not
hitting well,” she said.
Pettit said Brand was ready to
expand that role this season.
“The difference between this
year and other years is she wants to
be on the court and is more men
tally prepared,” Pettit said. ‘‘She’s
See BRAND on 8
Track teams to make another run at success
TRACK &
- -f3 FIELD
SUMMER
- RECAP
By Tim Pearson
Staff Reporter
After being ranked among the
nation’s best last year, the Nebraska
men’s and women’s track and field
. teams arc pointing toward the same
kind of success this season.
The women’s team again brought
home the Big Eight championships in
both the indoor and outdoor competi
tions for the 13th straight year. They
also finished third outdoors at the
NCAA Championships at Austin,
Texas, in June.
The Comhuskers were also named
dual meet champions for the second
straight year by T rack and Field News.
Coach Gary Pepin was encouraged
by the women’s performance, and he
said he was looking for continued
success this year.
“Our women had a tremendous
year last year,.” he said, “We will have
a good team, but it wifi be difficult to
beat last year’s performance.”
Pepin is also look ing for one or two
more recruits for the women’s team.
“We had a good recruiting year,
but not very many in terms of num
- ber,” he said.
The men’s team, which finished
second outdoors at the Big Eight
Championships last year, were led by
inv, a a inuoor champion Kevin
Coleman in the shot pul.
The men finished sixth in thcTr&ck
and Field News dual meet rankings.
This year’s men’s team, Pepin said,
is young. He said he expected
standouts to include Coleman in the
shot put and Travis Grant in the sprints.
“We had a good recruiting year,’’
Pepin said. “We’ve got quality and
depth.” / ~ _
Pepin said he believed Coleman
could win another national champi
onship.
“Pcrlormanec-wisc, Kevin will do
better, but you can’t tell how the
competition will do,” Pepin said. “He
could do just as good as last year or
better, but he suU might gel soeond.”
Nebraska wa>> represented at the
Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, by two
f
lormcr Huskcrs, Ximcna Kcslrcpoand
Mcrlcnc Ottcy. Rcslrcpo, represent
ing Colombia, took the bronze medal
in the 400-mclcr dash, and Ottcy
representing Jamaica, did the same in
the 2(K)-mclcr dash.
Two members of the current team
won at the U.S. Junior Meet: sopho
more Robert Thomas in the long jum[
and sprinter Kathy Travis in the 100
meter dash. Both will compete at the
World Junior Meet in Seoul, Soutl
Korea, in September.
Pepin, entering his 13lh season ai
Nebraska, said the- Huskcrs needed tc
keep recruiting athletes in all events
to continue their success.
“The keys to our success are good
athletes and balance,” he said. “All
events arc important to us, not jusi
one.”
tiiiskers
,_
plagued
by minor
injuries
By Tony West
Staff Reporter_ _
More and more, the Nebraska foot
I ball team is looking like a list of walk
ing wounded.
The Huskers, who practiced for
two hours on the grass Thursday, were
plagued by minor injuries to key play
ers.
Second-string freshman quarter
back Tommy Frazier practiced with a
twisted ankle. Quarterbacks Brook
Berringer and Joel Cornwell, who are
tied with Frazier on the depth chart,
also practiced with sore arms.
Coach Tom Osborne said he was
concerned that he may go into the
season with only one experienced
quarterback, senior Mike Grant.
“Last year our top three quarter
backs graduated,” he said. “That’s a
lot of knowledge that just goes out the
window. We’re just starting over and
you can’t give them the experience on
the blackboard.”
A toe injury forced sophomore I
back Calvin Jones to miss the scrim
mage, as well as senior split end Tyrone
Hughes, who was out with an ankle
injury.
Junior Ernie Bcler also missed the
scrimmage with a twisted ankle, and
offensive tackle Zach Wiegert was
forced to miss with a pulled ham
string.
Osborne said the injuries could
deplete the Huskers for their last scrim
mage of the year, which will be Satur
day afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
“All we can do now is wait and see
how players come out of these inju
ries,” Osborne said.
Do you think Mike (irant
should be Nebraska's starting
quarterback? Does the Nebraska
volleyball team have a chance at
the national title this season? Will
the Cornhusker mens’ basket
ball team make it to a third
> straight NCAA Tournament?
Write to the Daily Nebraskan
sports section to air your views,
i Just write to:
Sports Editor, Daily Nebraskan
34 Nebraska Union
1400 R St.
Lincoln, NE 68588 -
All letters must be signed.
Please include your year in school
and social security number.
We look forward to hearing
I from you. _
