A good marketing strategy and a top-flight football program can go a long way in selling season tickets. Pitt is proof positive.
The university has sold a record 41,664 season tickets with less than three weeks remaining before the season opener against Kent State at Heinz Field. Only 1,000 non-club season tickets remain.
The school sold only 18,200 season tickets last season, meaning it's surpassed last year's count by 23,464.
"We're extremely excited about the response," new athletic director Jeff Long said Wednesday during the Panthers' first scrimmage of training camp. "We wanted to come out (with the numbers) now because it's not business as usual anymore. You can't show-up on game day and get a ticket."
The remaining non-club season tickets sell for $144 a package, which includes home games with Kent State (Sept. 6), Ball State (Sept. 13), Notre Dame (Oct. 11), Syracuse (Oct. 25), Virginia Tech (Nov. 8) and Miami (Nov. 29).
There are also 1,500 club season-tickets available at a total cost of $740 per ticket, with $240 going for the seat and $500 going toward a donation to Team Pittsburgh. Each club purchase requires the $500 Team Pittsburgh donation.
Additionally, per a contract signed with Notre Dame, 5,000 tickets have been held back for the game with the Irish. As a result of that contract, Pitt could not use 5,000 of its tickets in a season package.
The deal, however, will enable the university to sell upwards of 5,000 single-game tickets, depending on the number of tickets each Big East school requests. Big East schools can request a maximum of 3,000 tickets, though none of the three incoming schools will do so.
Notre Dame, meantime, has already sold its 5,000 tickets, meaning the only seats available for that game are the 1,000 non-club seats and the 1,500 club seats.
Pitt expects Heinz Field to be filled to capacity this season after factoring in the 10,000 student season tickets that will be sold prior to the opener against Kent State.
What fueled the record ticket sales was a campaign offering season-ticket packages for $60 and $99. Those seats sold out last week. Also, the Panthers are ranked No. 10 by The Associated Press and No. 11 by ESPN/USA Today, as they enter a season that brings a number of big-name opponents to Heinz Field.
Asked how he'll keep the fans coming back after this season, Long had a quick answer.
"You supply a quality product," he said. "Winning is the first piece of this."
THE INJURED
The scrimmage yesterday was watered down due to injures to wideout Larry Fitzgerald (hamstring), tight end Kris Wilson (back), tight end Erik Gill (calf), tailback Raymond Kirkley (groin) and defensive end Andy Alleman (calf).
Fitzgerald continues to move around better, but is being held out of practice for precautionary reasons. He's been out since Friday, while Wilson missed his third consecutive day.
PITT BLITZ
The Panthers scrimmage twice more during training camp, Sunday and Wednesday. ... Two-a-days conclude Sunday. ... In the moments leading up to yesterday's scrimmage, the atmosphere around the indoor practice facility was upbeat, with most onlookers discussing the verbal commitment the school received from Penn Hills quarterback Anthony Morelli earlier in the day.
