100 Days, 3,200 Seats and Counting
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Last season, Miami Hurricanes fans created, quite simply, one of the best home-field advantages in college football and it looks to be even better in 2018 as the Hurricanes are on pace to sell out of season tickets for the first time since moving to Hard Rock Stadium in 2008.
On Saturdays, Hard Rock Stadium transformed into a deafening cauldron filled with cheers, chants (and turnover chains) as the Hurricanes finished 7-0 at home in the regular season, propelling them to the ACC Championship Game for the first time and a berth in the Capital One Orange Bowl for the first time in a decade.
“Every so often, I would take my headsets off to listen how loud it really was,” head coach Mark Richt said. “I just wanted to get a gauge. There’s no doubt in my mind our fan base helped us get it done.”
And now, building off the momentum of that 2017 season, the Hurricanes are surging towards a record season ticket pace as we approach the 100-day countdown to the 2018 campaign.
Miami is projected to sell out its season ticket allotment of nearly 47,000. Fewer than 3,200 season tickets remain for the 2018 season – far less than the number of seats historically sold in the final three months prior to kickoff.
The Hurricanes averaged 58,682 fans last year at Hard Rock, which ranked second in the nation at stadiums with seating capacities below 70,000.
“Miami had one of the most electric atmospheres in college football last year and I have no doubt our fans will bring the same energy and enthusiasm to Hard Rock this fall,” Director of Athletics Blake James said. “Our season ticket sales are a clear indication of that passion and support.”
Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, following a 28-10 loss that put Miami in the ACC Coastal driver’s seat in October, said he hadn’t seen such an atmosphere at Miami since the Hokies’ trip to the Orange Bowl back in 2000 – when quarterback Michael Vick was just a sophomore.
The following week, ESPN’s College GameDay’s first visit to Coral Gables served as the pregame backdrop for Miami’s nationally televised, prime time tilt against then-No.3 Notre Dame. After Miami’s resounding 41-8 win, Irish linebacker Drue Tranquill called it “the loudest game I’ve ever played in.”
A press box packed with national media members agreed.
“But what absolutely is not up for debate is the atmosphere inside the stadium on Saturday night, the vibe that pulsed from the first row all the way to the top row,” ESPN.com’s Andrea Adelson wrote after the game. “Miami swaggered on the field and in the stands, and even when the team finally left the field to ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane,’ a large swath of fans remained for high fives and cheers.”
Yahoo! Sports columnist Pete Thamel, after witnessing a dominating win and a four-turnover game by the swarming Miami defense, marveled at the scene inside the stadium.
“By Saturday night, it was hard to tell if Hard Rock Stadium was a football game masquerading as a nightclub or a nightclub masquerading as a football stadium,” he said. “They hit a crescendo for the turnover celebrations.”
The action on the field is now matched by unparalleled amenities at Hard Rock, which has undergone more than $500 million in renovations over the past three years. Those renovations include new concourses, luxury suites, club seats, and other premium seating options that makes a day (or night) at the stadium a memorable experience from tailgate to kickoff to the final whistle.
Miami’s 2018 home schedule includes home dates with Savannah State (Sept. 8), FIU (Sept. 22), North Carolina (Sept. 27), Florida State (Oct. 6), Duke (Nov. 3) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 24). Season tickets for this year’s six-game slate are just $160. To view available inventory, click here or call 1-800-GO-CANES.
Individual tickets will go on sale to Hurricane Club members on June 1, and to the general public on June 8. Individual tickets for the Florida State and FIU games are already sold out.
It’s shaping up to be one of the most anticipated seasons in recent Hurricanes history as UM has cracked the top 10 in most post-spring and preseason rankings. Secure your seats now to ensure that, starting Sept. 8, you can catch all the action as the Hurricanes look to make more history at Hard Rock.
