Available Tickets Shrink as Gophers Football Excitement Grows
By Nick Fritz
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Things have been looking up for the Minnesota Gophers since a disheartening loss to the Wisconsin Badgers at the end of the regular season. Yes, there were nightmares of possible bowl trips to Texas or Nashville. But they quickly turned into dreams of showcasing our revamped program at the national level when the Gophers were picked to play Missouri in the Citrus bowl. Not only that, but early returns show Citrus Bowl Stadium will have its fair share of maroon and gold in the seats. After all, why wouldn’t Minnesotans want to spend some of their winter in Orlando?
The 7,300 tickets sold to Gophers fans thus far are about 800 more than were sold for the last two bowl appearances combined (6,538). This is just another big step for the program taken under Jerry Kill.
“Everybody is excited about what we’re doing,” Kill said. “We got a great deal of respect from all the people on the outside looking in, saying, ‘Man, the program has come a long way.’ There is no question there’s good vibes.”
The feeling is mutual, Jerry. Because of said excitement, Sun Country Airlines decided Tuesday to add five additional direct flights to bring Gophers fans to and from Orlando. That is in addition to six busses packed with students making the trip.
“There was still significant demand from fans to have an opportunity to go down there, and so we were excited to be able to take them,” Eric Curry, vice president of sales and customer experience at Sun Country, told the Pioneer Press.
No matter what happens against the high-powered Missouri Tigers on January 1st, don’t forget to soak it all in. Unless you’re a very recent fan, you know times like these have been few and far between.
Nov 29, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner (7) hands the football to running back David Cobb (27) during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports