Random Tech tidbits
Good morning, all-
I’ve got a few things to toss at you, including some notes from a conversation I had with Wayne Hogan in the athletics department and a Michael Johnson draft update.
1) Hogan, an associate AD, said that season tickets are coming in steady and at about the rate they expected. He said Tech has received about orders for about 10,000 tickets. Tech sold about 23,500 last year and hopes to get to 30,000 for 2009. He noted that, while the renewal date is April 1, he wasn’t that concerned at having received orders for 10,000 seats, as I imagine I would be. Hogan said that most orders come in at the last minute.
You can order tickets at www.ramblinwreck.com/tickets.
2) The department isn’t much closer to a 12th game for the 2010 football season. As he put it, “they’re still negotiating and bobbing and weaving.” I wrote awhile ago that my guess is Louisville.
3) The AA is going through its budget for the 2010 fiscal year, which starts July 1. I think a lot of what I talked about with Hogan will get folded into a story that we’ll run in a couple Sundays, but the gist of it is that the department is not impervious to the weakened economy. The budget, which was about $55 million this year, will shrink. He wouldn’t say by how much, as numbers are still coming in, but it sounds like it might be by a couple million or more.
Said Hogan, “We’re combing through every expenditure, every scholarship, every salary, every piece of equipment, every piece of travel that we do. It’s a matter of almost turning everything upside down and shaking the change out of the pockets. If you have a $55 million business, you have a lot of nooks and crannies. We’re definitely going to be leaner.”
Obviously, how Tech does selling season tickets could have a fairly significant impact on the budget. Here’s my attempt at math. A season ticket costs $260. The required Tech Fund contributions that accompany the better seats range from $75 to $475. Let’s use $200 for the example. If Tech sells 5,000 more (or fewer) tickets than anticipated, that’s a difference of $2.3 million.
It goes without saying that many of its potential buyers are going through hard times of their own. A layout of $920 for two such tickets isn’t small change. I’m curious if any of you out there are ticket holders who are deliberating this very matter.
As for Michael Johnson, I understand that he worked out for the New York Jets at Tech this week. The Jets pick 17th. While I didn’t find anything definitive – perhaps someone could share a link – it certainly looks like the Jets will play out of a 3-4 defense. They did last year, and new coach Rex Ryan used it in Baltimore, where he was the defensive coordinator. Johnson would likely be a rush linebacker in such a scheme, which could work out pretty well for him. The NFL’s three leading sackers last season were all 3-4 rush linebackers, as a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story from the combine reports. (DeMarcus Ware, Joey Porter and James Harrison)
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90 comments Add your comment
full stadiums win games
March 19th, 2009
7:12 pm
(especially on Doolie day) Just ask any dog!
DTECH
March 19th, 2009
7:34 pm
Here is to all the sidewalk fans we can get, I am one of them and have been for 25+ years. In fact CPJ and I have one thing in common, we both went to the same school Western Carolina, do you want to kick him out too TechMan91???? Your an Idiot! Ken I think we just don’t have the numbers to fill the stadium right now, that being said if CPJ and the boys can keep this high octane offense going and we can average 9+ wins a season I think we would win over some fans here in the Atlanta area.
UGAissolastyear
March 19th, 2009
7:39 pm
I love all Tech fans whether they went to GT or not. At game day we are all brothers and sisters for the same cause. I almost feel like fans that come to the GT game even though they didn’t go to Tech should be held in higher regard then those of us that did. I hope more non-GT grads will join us on Saturdays . . . .and the occasional Thursday nights!
Buzz29
March 19th, 2009
8:23 pm
Thanks to all that make me, the “sidewalk” fan, feel welcome. TechMan91 is a douche in need of a little less vinegar.
bubadine scleveg
March 19th, 2009
8:52 pm
I will trade you 4 tech tickets for 1 too the zoo.I hear they have a new monkey that knows physics and can predict your future.buzz dies and is replaced by pink chicken.
superDAWG
March 19th, 2009
8:59 pm
Zing!! Thats the sound of balls rocketing over your outfielders out of the park.Then comes musical chairs in your bullpen.ZING!
techfan?
March 19th, 2009
9:31 pm
I can’t believe some of the screwy Tech fans are upset because “other” people want to come to “their” schools football games.
Minnesota Jacket
March 19th, 2009
9:48 pm
JEEZ….. What does it take for UGA fans to get off the Tech blog? Like really…Look I love waffle house and I know your an excellent cook on the 1-9 shift but like really ya’ll annoy the hell out of me when you just come on here and ruin a good blog….superDAWG zing…thats the sound of the balls landing in your face as your sucking the CO*& and ZING there it goes up your &*&…you see I can do it to!!
THWG
GO Jackets
Neutral Field
March 19th, 2009
9:51 pm
I did not go to Tech or UGA. I am a transplant and have lived here for 50 years of my adult life. One of my sons went to UGA, one went to Tech and one went to State. I have no allegience to any of the fine institutions. I can not believe some of the posts I am reading on here. Tech is world wide known as a great institution of higher learning but most people would not associate the football team with any greatness. Mediocrity at its best. A prime example is UGA loses three games this year and the fan base is up in arms. Tech wins 9 games and the fans are talking championships. If Tech does not win 9 games this year then the majority of the fans will fall back out. If UGA loses 3-4 games this year the fans will still come back. Tech will never be a upper level football program until the fans give the team some support. How many coaches have you had in the last 25 years? If you get a winning coach he leaves to go somewhere else. You will not win until you support your team. You have a great coach who can make something special happen. Support him and his team. Spend some money and go out and be proud of your team. Years ago when Coach Dodd was here you had to fight for a ticket. I have found being in business over the years that the average Tech graduate is somewhat tight fisted. He or she does not want to fork over any money. Skeptical and likes to analyze everything. Nothing wrong with that but, you can not take that attitude with your support of your football team. Advertising in the paper to sell tickets and offering food packages for a major college university is absurd. Get off your tails and support your team. If not, do you think Coach Johnson is going to stay here? You are in the largest population in the southeast and should sell every game out regardless is you are playing FSU or Gardner Webb. If the man sitting beside you is not a GT graduate, who cares? He is there to support the team and that is all that matters. I am just a old man but I have an opinion too. I think if you talk to the majority of people who are neutral you will find the majority will the same thing as me. This is a hard time for us all. The economy reminds of the Jimmy Carter era, only worse now. But, lets face it folks. If you have a degree from Tech you can afford season tickets. So quit your belly aching and go buy some seats.
the real OLD GOLD
March 19th, 2009
10:13 pm
Minn. Jacket, I’m from Georgia, born and raised. I live 50 miles from Atlanta and I love college football like no other sport on earth. UGA fans are obnoxious and tacky and I the white and gold is the most beautiful combination of colors I’ve ever seen on a football field. History and tradition: Heisman, Alexander, Dodd, 4 National Titles, The ramblin’ wreck… all in my beloved home state’s capital city? This is why I’m a non-graduate Tech fan. Sure I have a cousin that’s an alum, but I was a fan long before this. Just thought I’d answer since you asked. THWG!
the real OLD GOLD
March 19th, 2009
10:14 pm
….and I think* white and gold…… sorry.. left out a word
Minnesota Jacket
March 19th, 2009
10:32 pm
I always wonder….I feel fans of GT who aren’t alumni most likely have some sort of connection through their family…but that was more of a though. Me my brother and dad went to GT Im probably the most hardcore of us with my love for GT football and basketball….and I agree Georgia fans are just pathetic and stupid with some of their remarks….
Neutralfield: I agree that Tech needs to have more devoted fans but as you know Tech is a smaller school with a much less pro football undergraduate section. So it requires Tech to do better on a consistent basis. Why does most of the state root for Georgia…because most of the state have always been bandwagon fans and its always easier to root for a school that is bigger and much more of a tailgate type of school IMO…. To all you sidewalk fans come on by greek row and have a beer with me this coming year and lets have a great football season
GM
March 19th, 2009
11:17 pm
Neutral Field…try to keep your thoughts concise. I get bored easily.
Jim Veitch
March 19th, 2009
11:27 pm
I did not attend Georgia Tech. I have no family connection with Georgia Tech. I have been a fan of the program since the 1990 national championship run. I held Season Tickets for the first time last year. I have gladly renewed them for the 2009 Season. I BLEED GOLD AND WHITE!! Every Tech Fan should be in the stadium supporting the team. Coach Johnson is a winner, and always has been. I can’t wait to lift up the Gold Flags on my F-150 and travel up to Bobby Dodd in a few days…GO JACKETS ! UP WITH THE GOLD & WHITE..DOWN WITH THE RED & BLACK. BY ALL THE TIX, AND KEEP THE MUTS OUT OF THE STADIUM THIS YEAR!!!
Jim Veitch
March 19th, 2009
11:29 pm
Enter your comments here
superDAWG
March 19th, 2009
11:54 pm
MINNESOTA JACKET you sir are the reason the GEORGIA people come on this sight because your comments need to be brought down to your level.Most tech people i know are good folks.If i were a tech alum you would be the first one that i would critize.I hope you have your tickets and they are next to mine.To see you cry would be priceless.Ask ramble on you could be his next apprentist at starship.
Mr. Skynyrd
March 20th, 2009
7:21 am
Hey TechMan91, I suspect you’re a closet dawg, but just in case your not…..
I graduated from Mizzou but live in Atlanta. I’d rather be in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday afternoons, but I have a kid at Tech so I buy season tickets and go to the Tech games.
And you best stay out of my way on I-85 south on game days, cause me and my F-150 (that’s a pick up truck) will put your pompous ass in the wall if you get in my way.
Go Jackets!
GameTime
March 20th, 2009
7:24 am
You asked about the economy’s effect on season ticket renewals — been a West Stand ticket holder for many years. But economy and market may cause me to release those tickets. Not something I want to do — especially with the future looking so bright – but I’m feeling the pinch. I’d be paying about $1500 for my tickets.
Zach
March 20th, 2009
8:47 am
To the guy who paid $180 for season tickets, did you have a promo code or something? The cheapest seats in the house appear to be $260 on the web-site. That’s a 44% increase from your quoted price – a huge difference especially when you’re buying two or more. I’d snap up 2 season tickets right now if I could get them for $180 (ideally in the upper west nosebleeds as opposed to the north endzone)
Zach
March 20th, 2009
9:13 am
The irony is that probably there are a lot of richer Tech alumni who chose that they cannot afford season tickets after a comparative cost analysis of the marginal utility of a ticket vs. home television viewing (myself included – not that I’m particularly rich) while that bald-head painting dawg fan they always show on TV and thousands others like him (who have no idea that Georgia is a University and not a football team) are in NO place to afford tickets but keep plunking down the money – sort of like poor kids in the ghetto outfitting their hoopties with $10,000 rims, and wearing $250 Nikes.
I know this will come across as elitest, and so be it, but when I do go to the wal-marts here in Middle Georgia and see the 600 pound, mullet-sporting, tooth-missing piles of human waste that INEVITABLY are wearing Georgia apparel (and have georgia stickers and flags on their fat-people-scooters) I do think to myself that I am greatful that my fans are not such an embarassment. The only time I’m frequently embarassed by my fellow tech fans/alumni is on these blogs. Oh, and when that one guy was arrested as a terrorist – that was embarassing.
Zach
March 20th, 2009
9:15 am
Oh, and yes, I know I misspelled grateful and that invariably would have been a better word than inevitably. I typed it quickly. On second edit I probably would not have admitted that Georgia was a “University” either.
MinnesotaJacket
March 20th, 2009
9:39 am
superDAWG I never said non-alumnist were not good people…I will drink and cheer with every single non-alumnus I was just wondering if they had connections with Tech because of an opinion I had, I have no feelings to people who are or aren’t as long as the old gold and white prevails in who they cheer for…Zach I agree but I am sure somewhere there are some gt fans who are the same, but I mean that gives me and my brother the biggest smile when we see them haha..
Joe S.
March 20th, 2009
10:29 am
Hey Zach, those were hold overs from the jackets nest last year. If current holders let them go I believe they will go back to the 260 price. I had tickets in that area last year and upgraded to the newley opened to season ticketers in section 132 this year.
Clyde
March 20th, 2009
11:03 am
the real Old Gold and the other real Tech fans are right……………we should be happy with and appreciative of everyone who supports Tech and its sports programs. I graduated in 1973 and have not found myself in so lofty a position in life as to look down on others. If someone is a GT fan, then God Bless them………….for we need all the support we can get. If the AA wants to try and get extra funds by making the better seats available (for a hefty price) to alumni or boosters who give to the Alexander Thorpe Fund; etc., I don’t have a problem with that……………but tickets should be available to all who want them, I haven’t seen too many times since Dodd that tickets were that hard to get…………and we need to get back to that level of support.
Crow T. Robot
March 20th, 2009
11:21 am
The $180/seat tickets were a renewal of the tickets I had last year. I bought them during ‘The Perfect Option’ promo. Last year’s price was $150/seat. So, to answer your question – No, no promo code…just a renewal of last year’s tickets.
ken sugiura
March 20th, 2009
12:08 pm
a lot of love for the non-alums. there must be more of you out there (or at least on the blog) than i realized.
MinnesotaJacket
March 20th, 2009
12:49 pm
ok enough talk about the season ticket situation, I want to talk about all the backs we have right now. With Allen Roddy and Dwyer…where does that leave Wright, Cox, and the newer recruits we have? Also who do you think steps up to be a good # 2 reciever who can put enough pressure on corners and safety to keep them honest to Bebe?
the real Old Gold
March 20th, 2009
1:21 pm
The $180 tickets were a promo from last year in section 218 LL. That’s where my seats are as well. It’s the section that hangs down above the band against the edge center. They called it the “Jacket’s Nest” and it was a great deal. Last year they were $150, but they went up due to game quality this coming season. But there is no contribution. I think they all sold out, and it looks like everyone re-uped since there aren’t any available when you search. A few seats, you can tell, are someone’s StubHub seats, since they always have different folks, but all in all, it’s the best section in the house. New restrooms, plenty of room in the concession line, and everybody is loud and almost always there for every game. Probably mostly you’re “sidewalk crowd” like me. Haha. THWG!
GT-Sidewalk
March 20th, 2009
1:43 pm
Ken, you made a great point about demand of the tickets. If you had an assett that was valuable, you would hang on to it, and Georgia fans who aren’t “rich” but already have season tix know that if they need money, they can just sell their tickets for $200 a seat to make money. If they give them up, they lose both the opportunity to buy season tickets and an income stream of selling tickets.
At Tech, on the other hand, people like me who don’t live in Metro Atlanta but are close enough to drive here for games, I don’t feel compelled to buy a full season of tickets because I may not want to drive here for all 6 games, can’t make Thursday games, and I can buy tix online for like $30 at stubhub. GTAA needs to create a demand for these tickets. Hot Dogs are not going to do it.
And as far as students, do you realize that in 1980, Sanford stadium seated 59,000 and Grant Field seated 60,000? Only 2 decades ago Georgia Tech had a SMALLER student body but a LARGER football stadium than Georgie. I understand times have changed, but in the course of just 2 decades, Georgie ADDED 33,000 seats and Tech REMOVED 5,000 seats.
I’ve posted on many sites that if you want to look at the number 1 issue that killed Tech football, you can look directly to the razing of the U on North Avenue. If it weren’t for Bobby Ross and 1990, we might be I-AA.
Zach
March 20th, 2009
2:37 pm
I can’t say I am familiar with what this “razing of the U” was. Perhaps it pre-dated my 26 years on this earth.
Zach
March 20th, 2009
2:47 pm
Do you mean when they removed seats to make room for Wardlaw?
EEJacket
March 20th, 2009
3:14 pm
I agree with Neutralfield, especially regarding the “9 wins and talking championships.” Guys, we’re good, maybe with lots of luck win the ACC this year, but we’re not THAT good. I think we’re going to beat key opponents (VT, Clemson, UNC) but we’re going to tank in other games (Duke, Miami) and we’re certainly not going to the national championships. I’m glad for that anyways, you saw how we handled the “pressure” of the chick-fil-a bowl, we got blown out by one of the worst teams in the SEC and one of the biggest disappointments in the FBS!! Our players need more experience under their feet before we can start to talk about beating Urban and his Gaytors. Wait until 2011 when Dwyer could be Heisman material, then we’ll talk.
Minnesota Jacket
March 20th, 2009
6:01 pm
EE Jacket Im just going to throw it out their…Dwyer will be a junior this year…he only has until the 2010 season if your talking about a NC in 2011 my bad if I misunderstood. I don’t agree with LUCK though being the key this year….I think it will require special teams improving (which I believe they will immensely after the bowl game) and I believe we need d-line to step up and fill in the gaps…I don’t see LUCK being part of that criteria….YES we might not be able to compare ourselves in NC yet BUT I do believe with a good season we could at least be the background noise to it this year.
2BT
March 21st, 2009
3:56 pm
Bought seven season tickets last year for my ‘group’. Will only be buying five this year due to the economy as two members are facing ‘hard times’ via their Anheuser Busch jobs in Cartersville. The budget allows me to attend the six home games plus a weekend stay in Nashville for the Vandy road game.
Supersize that order, mutt
March 21st, 2009
4:36 pm
Enter your comments here
Supersize that order, mutt
March 21st, 2009
4:46 pm
Sorry about that last entry; I accidentally hit “enter” too soon….LOL
ANYWAY, I have been a season ticket buyer at Tech for 42 years. I am retired now, and times are tough, but I have already sent in my application (and contribution) for the Fall. I am in Augusta, so getting to the games is not overly convenient, especially on Thursday nights, but I still plan on being there for every game in the Fall, and if I am surrounded by 200 rednecks who never took a class at Tech, I don’t give a damn, as long as they are cheering for the Jackets. One good season won’t increase the fan base, but 3 or 4 in a row will, and I think we have the coach to do it. Sanford stadium, like GT-Sidewalk had not always been the larger of the stadiums in the state. In fact until the late 60’s Grant Field was not only the largest stadium in Georgia, it was larger than any in the southeast, except for the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Mutt fans have forgotten that there were some years (the last being 1961) when UGAG played games in Grant Field as part of double-header with Tech. Tech’s winning tradition kept the stadium full every weekend. HOPEFULLY, a few years of winning will rebuild that tradition and fill the stadium regularly again. I might add that Thursday night games, no matter how good the national exposure may be, HURT season ticket sales. It’s hard for fans outside the Atlanta area to make that drive on a workday. Note that the mutts REFUSE to host Thursday night games, for that very reason.
Minnesota Jacket
March 21st, 2009
9:00 pm
Supersize I FN AGREE 100% Thursday night games are miserable.. Im a student and I STILL HATE THEM with teachers refusing to move test dates in order to help the student body out at all. Also Tech gets screwed up and down with the worse possible time slots for games. We did not have a single saturday night game last year and Im hoping this year we at least get the opportunity for that.
Paddy
March 22nd, 2009
10:37 am
Old Gold….. I am sort of a uniform nut. At the beginning of last season I thought the new Tech uniforms were unpleasent to look at. I have changed my mind and now love the look and style. I also like the idea of wearing white at home. If you wear gold, blue, red, black whatever at home every contest looks the same every weekend. You are always in gold and your foe is always in white. To me that is boring.
Georgia guy
March 22nd, 2009
12:38 pm
Tech just had one of its best years in quite a while with a couple of big wins and a new coach. I find it hard to believe that you can’t sell out every game. As for the UGA/GT tickets this year. I understand you have to buy the whole GT season ticket package to get these tickets, but as a UGA season ticket holder I am able to buy (6) away game tickets to this game which is 2 more than I was able to get two years ago. I think it is funny that I can buy more tickets to the Tech away game than I can a UGA home. It sounds like GT is upping its allotment of visitors tickets in order to sell more seats. This is pathetic for a team that is going to be ranked in the top 20 this year.
EEJacket
March 23rd, 2009
4:43 pm
Yup I meant 2010 Sorry about that.