A new head coach and three more wins this year didn’t help the University of Memphis football team much at the attendance gates of 61,000-seat Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
For six home games, the Tigers drew a total of 67,181 fans. The announced attendance was 146,227. Under Coach Justin Fuente, who replaced the fired Larry Porter (still on the payroll), the team won four games, or one more than Porter’s teams won in the previous two years. Total actual attendance for six home games in 2011 was 62,320.
The attendance for each game in 2012, provided by the city of Memphis at the request of the Flyer, follows:
UT Martin: 21,293
MTSU: 12,789
Rice: 5,034
Central Florida: 10,509
Tulane: 9,158
Southern Miss: 8,398
The Southern Heritage Classic, played in September, drew a crowd of 24,643. The AutoZone Liberty Bowl this year features Tulsa and Iowa State. Last year’s game between Cincinnati and Vanderbilt drew a crowd of 31,578.
Announced attendance, which is widely reported by pro and college teams and the media that follow them, is typically much higher than actual attendance because it includes tickets sold and distributed whether or not they are used.
Memphis is preparing to spend another $12 million on Liberty Bowl Stadium to accommodate federal dictates for seating for handicapped fans.
