When the Chattanooga Mocs' new head football coach Russ Huesman hit the local speaking circuit shortly after his hiring in December, the No. 1 question he got from fans, alumni and supporters was, “How can I help?”
The hiring of Huesman as the Mocs' 22nd head coach sparked an interest in the program that had not been seen on the UTC campus in years. Huesman, a former Moc himself, told fans throughout the spring that there were three things they could do to help Restore the Glory to UTC Football:
1. Buy Season Tickets
2. Join the UTC Mocs Club
3. Be a fan
Judging by some of the recent numbers coming out the Mocs' athletic department, the fans took Huesman's direction and have created an unprecedented preseason buzz around Chattanooga Football.
With Huesman setting the stage, season ticket sales are soaring compared to previous years. The Mocs head man said from the beginning that he would lead by example and be the first to buy four season tickets. On March, 2 at 10:00 a.m. Huesman followed through with that promise and was first in line to purchase tickets at The McKenzie Arena Box Office.
“I am going to make sure that these tickets are used for every game,” stated Huesman after making his purchase. “We need as much fan support as we can get at Finley Stadium and it all starts with season tickets. There is a lot of excitement around UTC football and we are working to make sure that translates into bigger crowds next season.”
The Mocs recently ran a Father's Day promotional package that resulted in over 300 season tickets sold. This promotion also saw three of the highest single-day sales for season tickets in school history. Those are pretty impressive numbers considering that June is traditionally not a hot month for football ticket sales at UTC.
The Mocs capped the 1,000 season ticket mark on Wednesday, June 24, a 50% increase in sales from the same time in 2008. Chattanooga did not hit the 1,000 mark in season ticket sales until August 15 last year, finishing with 1,271 season tickets sold for the year.
UTC's record for football season ticket sales is 2,300 set in the 1997 season, the first year of Finley Stadium. The Mocs will have to pick up the pace even more to break that record, but it is an excellent mark to shoot for.
Current season ticket holders who have not renewed for 2009 have until July 15 to ensure they keep their same seats. Click here or call (423) 425-5273 for more information on Chattanooga Mocs Football 2009 season tickets.
Not only are season ticket sales up from last year, but the number of new members to the UTC Mocs Club has also increased. The buzz around the football program has helped drive the Mocs Club new membership at a pace that is nearly 20% ahead of this time last season. The Mocs Club currently has 450 members and continues to grow daily.
The Mocs Club is the financial force behind the Chattanooga Athletics Department. UTC Mocs Club annual membership gifts directly benefit over 300 student-athletes by providing scholarships and other operational support dollars. For more information on joining the UTC Mocs Club visit www.MocsClub.com, or contact Brandon Potts, Director of the UTC Mocs Club, at (423) 425-4233 (Brandon-Potts@utc.edu).
Finally, Huesman asked as many current and potential supporters as he could to simply continue to be a fan. He talked about the importance of wearing your Mocs gear, spreading the word about UTC Football and getting more involved with the program.
If you need to freshen up your Mocs' wardrobe, be sure to stop by the UTC Bookstore on 5th Street in Chattanooga, or click here for the online store on GoMocs.com.
Fan involvement has certainly increased over the last few months, evident by the number of people showing up at Mocs' events. Everywhere Huesman speaks, he draws a capacity crowd of enthusiastic supporters. Over 100 showed up for both of UTC's informal scrimmages during spring practice and over 1,100 came to Finley Stadium for the Spring Game festivities.
The Mocs' website, GoMocs.com, has shattered traffic records since Huesman's arrival. The site will also cap the 2.7 million page impression mark and see over 325,000 unique visitors for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Both of those numbers are record marks for GoMocs.com.
All of this traffic on GoMocs.com has led the Mocs to start production of a redesign of the website. A new version of GoMocs.com will roll out on July 1, 2009 with many new features for fans to utilize.
“The interest in the program is definitely at its highest point since I have been here,” stated UTC Director of Athletics Rick Hart. “However, it is nowhere near its peak. We have to continue to work hard to promote all of our athletics programs to the Chattanooga community and our effort begins every year with football season. The excitement and anticipation around Chattanooga football is definitely something we can build on for the upcoming season.”
As the season opener against Glenville State on Sept. 3 gets closer, the buzz around UTC Football is sure to get louder. The Mocs, their fans and supporters are all working hard to make sure that buzz turns into a roar for the five home games at Finley Stadium in 2009.
