FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Touchdown Tommy]

Official Announcement:

The Nook at Hamline and Randolph will be the Official Stiftungsfestivities gathering spot following all 2006 Johnnie football games in the St. Paul vicinity (Auggie, USTD, and potentially on the way home from Olaf).  The reason is simple.  finsleft has reported to me that Hamm's is on tap at The Nook and is delicious.  Casper and Runyon (owners) have arranged for VIP parking of the Pace Arrow/all the Hamm's you can drink following games for those clad in red.

[Kilted Rat]

In checking out the SJU Institutional Profile it looks like about 95% are from Minn.  How is it for kids from other areas, in this case the west coast?

Also, checking out the attendance at the Johnnies' games, it varies wildly doesn't it?  Five to twelve thousand for home games and then as low as the 500s and 600s for some away games - that's quite a variance.

I came to SJU from Ohio and didn't know a damn person my first day on campus. The winters were colder than I expected, but the dorms are plenty warm.

People on campus are very friendly in general and welcoming. By the time christmas came around, I didn't want to have to leave campus and spent the whole time waiting for it to be time to drive back. By the end of the first year, you feel like you know your entire class and half the people on campus including your professors, even the people and profs you don't know will say hi when they pass you on campus. The profs all have an open door policy meaning that you can stop in at any time they're in and they're more than happy to talk to you and more often than not because of the small class size, they know you by name.

SJU home game attendance varies depending on the quality of the opponent. For a game against Crown or another weak team, less people will come since the game will likely be a blowout. For games against tougher teams like UW Eau Claire and Concordia and playoff games, many more people will come. I would say on average there are about 7-8000 at a typical game.

Additionally, SJU and CSB students get in free when they show their student ID, so often attendance figures are guesstimates.

As far as away ganmes go, aside from the game against St. Thomas and other big away games, many students travel. At almost all away games (as was the case at the St. Thomas and Bethel games I made it to this year) SJU fans outnumber home fans by a significant amount.

Hope this helps!

[finsleft]

Duff and TDT: You have and continue to impress me. Duff, I do recall you reporting in with a category 4 hangover that morning. Glad I could help you snap back.

Stanc: you'll find SJU to be a warm and welcoming place regardless of where you're from. One plus, all your buds who are from around here can haul you home for the occasional weekend for home cooking and maybe the bonus good-looking little sister.
Attendance at SJU football is awesome due to the setting and the tradition. Nothing like it on a fall day when the leaves are blazing. Yes, ofentimes SJU fans outnumber the home fans at away games. We're all nuts.

The Nook? Hamm's on tap! 'Nuf said!

[DuffMan]

In checking out the SJU Institutional Profile it looks like about 95% are from Minn.  How is it for kids from other areas, in this case the west coast?

Also, checking out the attendance at the Johnnies' games, it varies wildly doesn't it?  Five to twelve thousand for home games and then as low as the 500s and 600s for some away games - that's quite a variance.

Lots of Minnesota kids.  I did have a friend from Montana who left after a semester, then came back because he missed it so much.  Also, I played with a guy from Oregon who loved it at SJU.  It's not as easy to go home, but SJU is a very welcoming place.  For football players stuck on campus over holidays there is never a shortage of guys who will invite others who can't make it home to spend the holidays with their families.

I don't think the attendance numbers vary as much as you might think.  A good average is around 7000.  They drop a bit when the weather gets cold, but homecoming, family weekend, and big games tend to draw some more people in.  Generally, the Johnnies bring a large fan base on the road.  We outnumber the fans in purple at St. Thomas this year and had a lot of people in Whitewater for the play-offs.  The 12,000 number(s) might happen at some very big games, but it's certainly not the ordinary.

[Veek]

Fins-

You should consider growing some mint in your garden next season so you can stock up for the mojitos that we'll be consuming. 

Nice to hear that the Pace Arrow will be ready.  I knew you could be counted on.

I, too, like Duffman and TDT, recall how strong your intial batch of koolaid was.  I wasn't sure if there was any mix in it or not!  Good stuff.

[johnnie_esq]

Stanc-
I think that 95% figure refers to kids from the Midwest, not just Minnesota.  Your son wouldn't be alone in being from outside of the upper Midwest, but I'm not going to lie and say he'd be in an enormous company.  But as Duff said, it's not as if anyone is ever alone up on campus unless they choose to be-- there are plenty of professors and other students' families that end up "adopting" out of region students.

One of my wife's friends is from Eugene OR.  She loved Minnesota, despite never visiting before she enrolled, and stayed here after graduation until family commitments forced her to go to L.A. about a year ago.  Even then she has expressed wanting to move back as soon as she can.  During breaks, whenever she did not head back home, she was always invited over to about 3 or 4 of her friends' families per break.

I'd strongly echo Johnnie Red's suggestion to pick up a copy of Austin Murphy's Sweet Season.  It'll give a good insight into the life of a SJU football player and life at SJU.

Feel free to PM or email me-- I would gladly discuss more specifics if you wish.

[Veek]

Stanc,

Welcome to the board.  Check out SJU's website at www.gojohnnies.com.  Click on the football link on your left.  The second article from the top is about SJU setting the NCAA DIII attendance record again last season with an average attendance of 7925.  I believe SJU has earned that recognition 9 out of the past 13 years.  Second place Ithaca averaged less than 5,000 a game.  

There is a lot of good information on that website.  You can also view pictures of Clemens stadium from there.  See if you can spot a Pace Arrow in the picture.

Has anyone heard if the new radio agreement for SJU sports will include Lewandowski, Backes, and Linneman for football?  I sure hope so.

[Touchdown Tommy]

Veek,

I am sure it will be the same crew.  You wouldn't have to worry about it if you attended a few more away games...

I remember that batch of kool aid.  It wasn't mixed well at all.  The top was pure juice, the bottom pure booze.  Pretty sure we sucked it down like champs.  Hopefully someone gets a green thumb like Veek suggests and grows mint for the Stiftungsfestivities.  TDT is confident that we could convince the rent-a-cops we were drinking 7up from high ball glasses!!

[DuffMan]

I don't think TDT experienced the Kool-aid that we're talking of.  The Kool-aid that TDT experienced was mighty weak compared to the stuff Fins brought the first home game.  That stuff not only added hair to my chest, but the second glass then proceded to melt it all off!

[finsleft]

Fins-
You should consider growing some mint in your garden next season so you can stock up for the mojitos that we'll be consuming. 

Who says I'm not already a mint grower? It really blends in nicely with the other herbs I put into my potpourri. Such a special treat at bathtime!

[union89]

Ok, Union89 needs to deliver some karma, but is not sure who deserves it!!!

Who is the sick S.O.B. who hooked U89 up with, "My Name is Earl"  That is the second time U89 has seen the show and the second time U89 pissed himself!!

For all those who saw it tonight...."Sorry MIAC, we can't be together...U89 is Karma's bitch!!"

[Kilted Rat]

U89,

That would be Finsleft, he's the MIAC's unOfficial Karma guru and guru of all things Earl.

[union89]

U89,

That would be Finsleft, he's the MIAC's unOfficial Karma guru and guru of all things Earl.

K to Finsleft and also to KR for solving the mystery.

[Veek]

TDT,

Duff was right.  You were thinking of Fins' Rum/Pineapple juice concoction.  It wasn't mixed well at first in case the rent-a-cops were stopping by for a sip but when you got to the bottom it packed a punch.

The stuff Fins brought to the first game, however, blew your socks off from the first pour to the last.  It was the strongest koolaid I have had since I hosted a wop back in my college days.

Before you start commenting about my away game attendance you had better get to a few more games yourself.

[DuffMan]

Before you start commenting about my away game attendance you had better get to a few more games yourself.

Karma to Veek on that one.  Also, smite to TDT!