Staff Writer
Whether getting tickets or apparel in preparation for Baylor football games, procrastination is no longer an option.
Tickets for the game are sold out, and all student tickets have been claimed.
According to a Baylor Athletics press release, Floyd Casey Stadium could be the host of a crowd nearing 51,000.
The record attendance at Floyd-Casey occurred during the game against Texas A&M University in 2006, when 51,385 showed up.
Baylor Athletics is encouraging everyone to arrive early.
Tickets aren’t the only thing to run out early. Baylor BlackOUt T-shirts have sold out at all locations except for the Baylor Bookstores.
John Garrison, associate athletic director for marketing, said the decision for the team to wear all black was made about six weeks ago.
This inspired the current push for fans to also wear black.
“The coaching staff and the equipment staff decided that the team was going to wear all-black uniforms for the OU game,” Garrison said. “It’s an evening game and it’s nationally televised and we thought, ‘What better way to support a team that’s wearing an all black uniform than to encourage fans to do the same?’”
Two shirts were specially designed for the game against the Sooners, one long-sleeved and one short.
Both are solid black and have the words “Baylor Football” printed in grey on the front.
The shirts were available online through the Baylor Bookstore website starting Oct. 24. The following Monday, the shirts became available on campus.
Student Activities has been selling these shirts in conjunction with Baylor Chamber of Commerce and Baylor student government.
“We have sold a little over 4,000 shirts to students in the last five days or so,” said Matt Burchett, director of Student Activities. “We are so excited about the student commitment to this experience. They have really turned out to support the blackout effort. “
Garrison said this is the first football game to feature themed T-shirts.
In the past, fans in the Ferrell Center could be seen wearing the same color to support Baylor basketball.
Garrison said there might be more times in the future that a football game has a theme, but he is not sure.
“It’s a case-by-case basis,” Garrison said. “It’s great to do every once in a while. This lined up perfectly. It’s a Thursday night game, it’s televised, there’s only one other college game anywhere in the country. So this is almost a perfect storm and the team is ranked five in the country, so everything really came together.”
Both Garrison and Burchett said they were surprised and excited by the level of success the Baylor BlackOUt has reached.
“I don’t think I expected it to blow up as big as it did, but we knew that people would get behind it,” Garrison said. “Obviously, the success of the football team is what is really driving all of this. It has little to do with our marketing efforts. When a team is ranked number five in country, a lot of people are getting excited. And they have a way to show their excitement by getting on board with this ‘Everyone in Black.’”
When traveling to the game, Fans coming from Interstate Highway 35 who hold credentialed parking passes should use the Valley Mills Drive exit and continue to the stadium’s main entrance for admission into their designated parking area.
Upon leaving the game, fans holding these type of parking passes should plan to exit the stadium using the Valley Mills Drive exit only.
People with public parking passes from Baylor Athletics should note that the passes are good for parking at the general parking lots on Clay Avenue between 29th Street and Valley Mills Drive.
There is no public parking available in lots F and G off of 29th Street, and limited space is available in the E lot off of 29th Street.
People avoiding parking at Floyd Casey Stadium and wanting to take advantage of parking at local restaurants can use the Gold Rush Tailgate Shuttle. Pickup is at Waco’s Heritage Square and Vitek’s BBQ starting three hours before the game.
