Sasha Ambrose
Sports Reporter
This year, students at ISU have a lot to look forward to under the new Satterlee Administration when it comes to a game day atmosphere this fall at football games.
In collaboration with the 1901 Club, a student-alumni association founded to bring people together to celebrate the ISU athletic department, a brand-new tradition started this season.
In previous years, attendees were scattered around campus, as there was no centralized place to get together before a game. But at ISU’s home opener against Western State of Colorado, a big shift took place.
There was tailgating behind the arena, a special President’s section for alumni and food trucks scattered along the pavement by Holt Arena.
“I think that it creates more of an atmosphere and culture, where students can enjoy themselves,” said Blake Benson, acting vice president of the 1901 Club. “Now there’s a tailgating atmosphere where everybody can get together, everyone knows they need to go to the game, they need to enjoy themselves. There was no real student involvement, everyone would just come if they wanted to.”
Over the last few years, attendance at ISU football games has been dropping steadily. With this new event at every home game, they’re hoping to increase that attendance rate and spike crowd engagement. ISU’s home opener saw an attendance of 5,062 in an arena that hold 12,000 for football.
“Idaho State is a non-traditional school, so you have about 12,000 people enrolled in the school, but maybe 40 percent of them are people who have children or jobs,” Benson said. “So, you’re relying predominantly on students who live on campus, and when they aren’t made aware that there’s a tailgate, they’re not going to come. That’s the initiative that we’ve taken over the last few years, is to get locals aware that game days are a thing, and this is what we do before a game.”
The only winning season ISU has had with Benson on campus is 2014, his freshman year. He said that season was the only one where the student section was alive, and the games were fun. That season, ISU went 8-4 and narrowly missed out on the FCS playoffs. Since then, ISU has gone 10-26, but is off to a fast 2-1 start this season, including a road win at No. 22 North Dakota last week. The Bengals host Northern Arizona this week for Homecoming.
“When people start showing up to these tailgates, it’s not just something you watch, it’s an experience,” Benson said. “We need to get everyone engaged and having fun. That’s what school is for, you work hard during the week, then on the weekends, you should be able to enjoy certain things on campus. We need to be able to expedite that: provide food, provide drinks.”
Prior to the Western State of Colorado game, that is exactly what they did, not only did students bring food to share with friends, but local businesses came out to support ISU.
There were several different types of food sold at the food trucks, most notably Portneuf Valley Brewing, which for the 21 and up crowd, was selling drinks outside of Holt Arena despite ISU being a dry campus.
Another thing the 1901 Club prides itself on is getting the student section pumped up. A strong student section at a game can create a hostile environment for the visiting team, which can then create an advantage for ISU.
“I think a lot of people didn’t realize that that was what you do,” Benson said. “But if you compare us to Utah State, who has a really awesome student section, that’s something that people need to embrace because it’s part of the college experience. If it was a late-night event at the union, or an SAB event, you’re going there just to have fun with your friends, and that’s kind of what the tailgate atmosphere does.”
As for Satterlee, many students think he’s bringing a new vision to the school, one that makes ISU a more welcoming university through a better student experience.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” Benson said. “The main thing that needed to be changed was culture. Culture is a huge thing and it affects morale. You can’t change culture overnight, so what he’s doing by setting goals, it’s going to be a great thing for the school.”
