UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; February 12, 2007 ?C Penn State??s football fans ranked second in NCAA Division I-A football attendance during the 2006 season for the fourth time this decade, according to figures recently released by the NCAA.
The Nittany Lions have finished among the top four in Division I-A attendance for 16 consecutive years.
Penn State??s loyal and enthusiastic fans totaled 752,972 for seven home games last season for an average of 107,567 per game, second-highest in the nation and in program history.
An energetic and vociferous throng of 110,007 for the October 14 primetime clash with Michigan was the second-largest in Beaver Stadium history. Four of the five largest crowds in facility history have occurred during the 2005 and ??06 seasons. Beaver Stadium is the nation??s second largest facility with a capacity of 107,282 and was expanded for the seventh time under Coach Joe Paterno prior to the 2001 season.
Penn State??s 107,567 average placed second among the 615 NCAA members surveyed, including 119 in Division I-A. Michigan (110,026 avg.) led, followed by Penn State, Tennessee (105,789), Ohio State (105,096) and Georgia (92,746). LSU was sixth, followed by Alabama, Southern California, Florida and Texas.
More than one million people again watched the Nittany Lions play in 2006. Penn State's five away games drew 371,090 and the sellout crowd of 65,601 for the Nittany Lions?? win over Tennessee in the Outback Bowl swelled PSU??s total 2006 attendance to 1,189,663.
Penn State has played in front of more than one million spectators in seven of the past nine seasons, with the 2006 total ranking second highest in program history. Only the total of 1,247,707 from 2002, an NCAA record at the time, is higher. Penn State??s 857,911 fans at home in 2002 remains an NCAA record.
Since the 1991 season, the Nittany Lions have finished second in NCAA attendance in 1994, 2001, ??02, ??03 and ??06, third in 1991, '92, '93, '95, ??96, ??97, ??98 and ??99 and fourth in 2000, ??04 and ??05.
The Big Ten again claimed three of the top four spots in the survey and was second among all conferences with 5,223,202 fans, posting an average of 69,643 for 75 home dates. Big Ten members Wisconsin (15th, 81,368 avg.), Michigan State (21st, 70,819) and Iowa (22nd, 70,585) also made the top 25.
The NCAA??s 615 programs drew a record 47,909,313 fans for the four divisions. The nation??s 119 Division I-A schools led the way, drawing a record 36,814,468 patrons for an average of 46,249, also a record.
The unparalleled interest in Penn State football has triggered seven expansions and renovations of Beaver Stadium since Paterno became head coach in 1966. The most recent expansion added a deck and 4,000 club seats in the South end zone as well as an East side pavilion with 60 enclosed skyboxes, all of which have been leased. Approximately 80 percent of the club seats were leased on a seasonal basis for the 2006 season, providing the amenities of the Mount Nittany Lounge throughout gameday.
Season tickets and Club seats are available for the blockbuster 2007 home schedule that includes five bowl teams from last season: Notre Dame (Sept. 8), Iowa (Oct. 6), Wisconsin (Oct. 13- Homecoming), Ohio State (Oct. 27) and Purdue (Nov. 3). The Nittany Lions open the season on Sept. 1 vs. Florida International.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, interested parties can call 1-800-648-8269 (1-800-NITTANY). For additional information on club seats, call 863-3143 in the Centre Region and ask for Bob White.
Penn State earned a 9-4 record this past season and has won 22 of its last 27 contests. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 24 in the final Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches poll, earning their 32nd Top 25 finish under Joe Paterno. He enters his 42nd season as head coach with 15 returning starters (8 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialist).