4,741...Smallest Crowd Ever?

[Brad Palmer]

Was Tuesday night's crowd of 4,741 in Hartford the smallest ever for a UConn men's home game? (Not counting the Field House days of course).

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Seems unlikely, given the team didn't get terribly popular until the late 80's/early 90's.

Edit: I admit this was horribly wrong, you can stop quoting me and pointing that out, thanks.

 

[upstater]

Seems unlikely, given the team didn't get terribly popular until the late 80's/early 90's.

When I went to game in the early and mid 80s, even during the down Perno years, the HCC used to be packed and wild for Big East games. In the earlier part of that era, UConn had 4 straight winning seasons in the BE. In fact, it was one of the best teams in one of Corny's years. And the fans were crazy. I was only 13-14 yrs old, but what impressed me was the great fan support.

 

[LIUCHusky]

Seems unlikely, given the team didn't get terribly popular until the late 80's/early 90's.

That is not even close to being true. UConn drew very well at the Civic Center. The lowest attended game at the Civic Center was the night that the roof collapsed in 1978. If I recall correctly approx. 5500 attended that night and the weather was significantly worse than Tuesday night.

Contrary to popular belief basketball was played by UConn prior to 1986. Considering the facilities and lack of support system UConn actually played at a very high level with frequent wins against Syracuse, a win against Georgetown in DC with Pat Ewing on that team and many other significant wins.

 

[Hoophound]

I got hooked on UConn by going to a game as a kid against lowly Seton Hall in the early to mid eighties. Early Kelly and Ray Broxton were on the team that night. The crowd in the field house was shoulder to shoulder and really into it. I was impressed that so many people loved basketball as much as I did and I instantly became a rabid fan. Not sure how many people fit in the field house but it was full for a "crappy" game between two crappy teams.

 

[upstater]

That is not even close to being true. UConn drew very well at the Civic Center. The lowest attended game at the Civic Center was the night that the roof collapsed in 1978. If I recall correctly approx. 5500 attended that night and the weather was significantly worse than Tuesday night.

Contrary to popular belief basketball was played by UConn prior to 1986. Considering the facilities and lack of support system UConn actually played at a very high level with frequent wins against Syracuse, a win against Georgetown in DC with Pat Ewing on that team and many other significant wins.

if you go back and look at UConn' first 4 or 5 seasons in the Big East, it makes liars out of those who said UConn was a perennial doormat prior to Calhoun. UConn went through 4 years of hell under Perno in the mid 1980s, when it was practically a doormat. But I don't see how 4 years of really bad losing makes you a perennial problem.

In the early 80s, one could easily state that Perno recruited much higher ranked players than Calhoun recruited in the 2010s. Corny, Aleksinas, McKay...

 

[8893]

I started attending as a student in 1984 and the games were definitely a huge event then. We were thrilled to be playing David to Syracuse's and Georgetown's Goliath.

I remember beating 'Cuse at the Civic Center when they had "Pearl" Washington and we had Earl Kelly. The place went nuts. I called my father from a payphone in one of the corridors, held up the phone so he could hear the mayhem, and told him that it was the greatest sporting event I had ever attended.

Tickets for Hartford games were definitely a commodity then, and the Civic Center rocked. Chuck's and Margaritaville were packed hours before tip until hours after the games.

 

[Brad Palmer]

I remember going to see UConn play Georgetown in the Field House (somewhere between January 1980 and January 1983) with my father; he was dropping me off back in Storrs after winter break. I remember climbing those rickety rafters and feeling like a gymnast after walking up 20-25 rows. I also vividly remember sitting on the floor underneath the basket at the Field House for games during those same years.

But, is the 4,741 from Tuesday night the smallest HCC/XL crowd ever for a UConn game? I say yes until proven otherwise.

 

[upstater]

I started attending as a student in 1984 and the games were definitely a huge event then. We were thrilled to be playing David to Syracuse's and Georgetown's Goliath.

I remember beating 'Cuse at the Civic Center when they had "Pearl" Washington and we had Earl Kelly. The place went nuts. I called my father from a payphone in one of the corridors, held up the phone so he could hear the mayhem, and told him that it was the greatest sporting event I had ever attended.

Tickets for Hartford games were definitely a commodity then, and the Civic Center rocked. Chuck's and Margaritaville were packed hours before tip until hours after the games.

That win was in the final seconds, as I remember. I watched that with my father behind a basket in the rafters. Best seats we could get.

 

[UconnDon]

I remember going to see UConn play Georgetown in the Field House (somewhere between January 1980 and January 1983) with my father; he was dropping me off back in Storrs after winter break. I remember climbing those rickety rafters and feeling like a gymnast after walking up 20-25 rows. I also vividly remember sitting on the floor underneath the basket at the Field House for games during those same years.

But, is the 4,741 from Tuesday night the smallest HCC/XL crowd ever for a UConn game? I say yes until proven otherwise.

Don't forget that that the actual gate receipts probably reflected a sell-out, or near capacity. Anyone traveling on those roads to see a game when the living room TV set beckoned should probably see some kind of shrink.

 

[8893]

The official UConn website has that 'Cuse game as a 71-69 win for us on February 20, 1985, but it lists it as a Storrs game. I think there has to be a mistake on the website because it doesn't list any Hartford games other than the CT Mutual Classic, and I know that we played there often during the Big East season. We beat Syracuse both times that season actually, with a 70-68 win at the Carrier Dome earlier in the season.

I remember the student section chanting "Earl Kelly is the real pearl!" and feeling like we were world beaters for having swept them.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

That is not even close to being true. UConn drew very well at the Civic Center. The lowest attended game at the Civic Center was the night that the roof collapsed in 1978. If I recall correctly approx. 5500 attended that night and the weather was significantly worse than Tuesday night.

Contrary to popular belief basketball was played by UConn prior to 1986. Considering the facilities and lack of support system UConn actually played at a very high level with frequent wins against Syracuse, a win against Georgetown in DC with Pat Ewing on that team and many other significant wins.

Interesting. Well hey, I was mistaken. When did the team start playing in the Civic Center? Was it immediately popular?

 

[HuskyHawk]

When I went to game in the early and mid 80s, even during the down Perno years, the HCC used to be packed and wild for Big East games. In the earlier part of that era, UConn had 4 straight winning seasons in the BE. In fact, it was one of the best teams in one of Corny's years. And the fans were crazy. I was only 13-14 yrs old, but what impressed me was the great fan support.

I agree. Even in the Perno years, the team was very popular, including pre-Big East (that's why we were invited). I fondly recall Karl Hobbs, Vern Giscombe, Mike McKay, Corny, Chuck A, Norm Bailey etc. Some really good teams too. The program only had a real down stretch in the early Big East years, from 82-83 to 86-87. But the team was quite popular during those years despite the records (I was on campus from 84-88).

 

[rs2905]

Does anyone remember the two NIT games in 2001? I recall being shocked at how small those crowds were. I'd be surprised if they were over 3k in Gampel.

EDIT: Attendance listed at 3200 for the first game and over 8K for the second, but I know it was nowhere near that.

 

[Colt house75]

Was Tuesday night's crowd of 4,741 in Hartford the smallest ever for a UConn men's home game? (Not counting the Field House days of course).

Not doom and gloom. Have been watching Husky BB since early 60's and was in Storrs from 72-75. Season ticket holder at the Rent and go to 5 BB games a year, grew up in CT and now live out of state
ABOVE May appear not so good as everyone reminisces. but the weather forecasted for many of us was humongously bad. We had blizzard conditions forecasted here in Southeastern MA. and ended up getting close to 20 inches. .... so we stayed off the roads and passed. I suspect that many viewed discretion as the better part of valor if coming from here ...BTW-we get SNY channel up here.

 

[UconnDon]

Does the AAC (specifically CT Huskies) televise games on SNY?? I receive it also, but have not seen UConn scheduled basketball gaames this season.

 

[upstater]

Does the AAC (specifically CT Huskies) televise games on SNY?? I receive it also, but have not seen UConn scheduled basketball gaames this season.

Yes, they've had several games on SNY this year, but not the Temple game this week. That was on CBS SN.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

if you go back and look at UConn' first 4 or 5 seasons in the Big East, it makes liars out of those who said UConn was a perennial doormat prior to Calhoun. UConn went through 4 years of hell under Perno in the mid 1980s, when it was practically a doormat. But I don't see how 4 years of really bad losing makes you a perennial problem.

In the early 80s, one could easily state that Perno recruited much higher ranked players than Calhoun recruited in the 2010s. Corny, Aleksinas, McKay...

Actually the team that lead to Perno's demise started out ok but Kelley's suspension doomed him
The conference was extremely deep. Gt,Cuse nova,BC, Pitt and even SH were decent.

 

[Palatine]

I think 4,700 was a sell out at the field house.

 

[Wolferowski]

Seems unlikely, given the team didn't get terribly popular until the late 80's/early 90's.

Glancing over the "dream season"? I was 12 at the time and remember getting my first uconn hoops tshirt ever that year.
You are off by 10 years

 

[Waquoit]

Interesting. Well hey, I was mistaken. When did the team start playing in the Civic Center? Was it immediately popular?

The 1982 Big East Tournanment was hosted by the Civic Center. The last one before the move to MSG.

My 1st UConn game was in Field House in 1973 and it was SRO against Yale.

 

[UconnDon]

I think 4,700 was a sell out at the field house.

Maybe a wet sellout!

 

[Colt house75]

I think 4,700 was a sell out at the field house.

Attending from 72-75, most of the games were sellouts to best of my memory. ...but always
real loud...REAL LOUD all the time...a lot of us students in at virtually no cost...that's the thing that always stuck in my mind
was how loud 4,000 ++ fans could be in a very small place....

 

[Oxford Bob]

I went to the Georgetown game in 82-83 at the civic center and the only seats we could get were in the last row of the 300's.

 

[UConnLen]

I remember driving to Hartford in an ice storm with cars sliding off the road on route 2 -think it was a Villanova game in mid eighties. Many showed up that night though. Back in the old fieldhouse days, one of my friends Xeroxed a ticket to get into a sellout! Fans were Fanatics back then and very loud.