Aug. 30, 2004
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State is on track to record one of the top five home crowds in its history Saturday, as over 50,000 fans are expected for the season-opener with Idaho State at Qualcomm Stadium. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. PDT and the game will be followed by the KGB Sky Show, presented by Barona Valley Ranch Resort.
As of Monday afternoon, approximately 43,500 tickets had already been sold for the opener and that total did not include the estimated 5,000 SDSU students who are expected to attend the game. A general walk-up crowd of about 5,000 is also anticipated, bringing the attendance figure up to the mid-50,000s.
The SDSU single-game attendance record is 56,737 when the Aztecs faced off with Brigham Young in the epic 52-52 tie in 1991. Seven other home games have topped the 50,000 mark with the most recent coming on three occasions during the Marshall Faulk era in 1992.
"The single-game attendance record is an attainable number," said Steve Schnall, SDSU associate athletic director for marketing. "Ticket sales for the Idaho State game are approaching 44,000 as of Monday and we anticipate that number to jump quickly this week."
Tickets for this Saturday's game are still available and range in cost from $8 to $30. They can be purchased online at goaztecs.com or at the new Aztec Ticket Office at Qualcomm Stadium (Gate E).
On the season tickets front, San Diego State's total has grown by more than 3,000 to 17,566 (13,312 paid). The 2004 total has already easily surpassed total sales for all of last season, which topped out at 14,037 (10,400 paid) and included student ticket sales.
Following the KGB Sky Show for the opener against Idaho State, the Aztecs will also play host to Nevada on Sept. 25, and Colorado State on Oct. 16, in the Mountain West Conference home opener. Homecoming is set for Oct. 30, when San Diego State plays host to defending league champion Utah. The regular season ends on Nov. 20, with a visit by UNLV.
The Aztec ticket office can be reached at 619-283-SDSU.