Alabama the National Leader in Gymnastics Attendance
2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Last Friday (Feb. 4) Alabama Gymnastics drew 13,299 fans to see the Crimson Tide face the Auburn Tigers. It is the largest gymnastics crowd in the nation this year and the sixth largest of the last decade.
The crowd was not only on hand to see the Tide and Tigers face off, but to support Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson’s “Target the Cure” initiative, designed to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. A majority of the crowd heeded Patterson’s request to “Think Pink” and “Wear Pink” making for a very colorful crowd.
In addition to having the year’s largest crowd, Alabama also holds the nation’s best average, pulling in 11,000-plus fans per meet through it first three home meets.
Last season Alabama boasted a final season average of 10,283 per meet, which stands as the second best average in Alabama history. The Tide averaged 10,301 in 1997. Last year’s average was the best in the nation over the past five years and the third highest of the past decade.
Alabama Gymnastics figures prominently in the “biggest crowd” list over the past 10 years. Since 1996, the first year the Crimson Tide broke the 10,000 fan mark for a single meet, the Tide has posted seven of the 10 highest single meet attendance totals in the nation over the last decade. Those six meets include the SEC record of 15,043 in 1997, which is the single largest crowd of the last decade.
The Tide’s 13,299 against Auburn is the largest Alabama crowd since 14,097 poured into Coleman Coliseum in 1999. Overall, Alabama has produced 16 crowds of 10,000-plus, including eight that rank nationally in the top-21 meets of all time.
Alabama and Utah have dominated the attendance rankings over the past two decades. The two schools combine to hold all 21 of the 12,000-plus meets of all time.
Attendance Single Meet Highs over the Past Decade
1. 15,043 Alabama vs. Georgia 2-1-97
2. 14,285 Utah vs. BYU 3-23-02
3. 14,097 Alabama vs. Georgia 2-13-99
4. 13,563 Alabama vs. Georgia 3-1-96
5. 13,325 Utah vs. BYU 3-19-04
6. 13,299 Alabama vs. Auburn 2-04-05
7. 12,971 Alabama vs. Georgia 2-20-04
8. 12,573 Alabama vs. Georgia 1-17-98
9. 12,316 Alabama vs. Georgia 2-4-00
10. 12,201 Utah vs. BYU 2-4-00
