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Pitt fans cheer on their team as they come on the field against Virginia on Oct. 10 at Heinz Field. Pitt saw its home attendance increase by 17 percent in 2015.
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Pitt football sees biggest crowd increase of Power 5 schools

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Pitt football sees biggest crowd increase of Power 5 schools

 

Panthers football attendance increase No. 1 among Power Five teams

Pitt’s football attendance rises by 17 percent, top mark among Power Five conference schools.

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Pitt had the largest attendance increase among Power Five football programs in 2015, a CBS Sports study revealed Friday.

The Panthers averaged 48,150 fans per game at Heinz Field this season, a 17 percent increase from 43,168 in 2014.

A number of factors likely went into the bump. First, Pitt’s 2014 figure was a 16 percent decrease from the previous season, one of the worst drop-offs among Power Five programs.

The Panthers also benefited from the excitement generated by first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi, as well as the team's 6-1 start.  It also didn't hurt that Notre Dame was on the home schedule, as Pitt's Nov. 7 game against the Irish drew an announced sellout of 68,400. Pitt's second-highest attended game of the year was the season-opener against Youngstown State, which drew 49,969.

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Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes said Thursday he was pleased with some strides Pitt made in terms of attendance in his first football season at the helm, particularly in terms of the student body staying for all four quarters.

“I think it changed the feel — when they did stay — of that whole place,” Barnes said. “That carries over to the fans. There’s juice in the building, right?”

Barnes said the school’s season-ticket base was up this season, but he hopes that next season — with Penn State returning to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2000 — Pitt can set a record for number of season tickets sold.

“We took a step this year, and we think with the Penn State game as an anchor, we have a chance to really move the needle again,” he said. “We’re making progress.”

The next challenge, Barnes said, will be making sure that every ticket sold is actually used to fill every seat in the stadium.

“There’s a lot of seats that are sold, and [the buyers are] not coming to every single game,” Barnes said. “We’ve got to continue to grow that. That, again, has to do with the fan experience, it has to do with the time of the game, television, weather, it has to do with a lot of things, but let’s control what we can control.”

Pitt adds two recruits

Pitt added two verbal commitments to its 2016 class when Ohio athlete George Hill and Florida defensive back Henry Miller joined the fold.

Hill announced his decision at a news conference at his school, while Miller did so on his personal Twitter page.

Hill, rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, was previously committed to Ohio State, but rescinded that commitment in October. He is listed as an athlete, and could play cornerback, running back or even wide receiver.

After decommitting from Ohio State, Hill fielded offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wisconsin, in addition to Pitt.

He is the third four-star prospect to join Pitt’s 2016 class, Narduzzi’s first full recruiting cycle as the Panthers head coach, joining Ohio wide receiver Ruben Flowers and Aliquippa linebacker Kaezon Pugh.

Miller, rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, chose Pitt over his other finalists, Rutgers and North Carolina State. He also had offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Oregon State, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Miller is the fourth defensive back to commit to Pitt’s 2016 class, joining Phil Campbell, Therran Coleman and Bricen Garner.

The two additions push Pitt’s 2016 class to 18 members, not counting transfer tight end Chris Clark. Clark, defensive end Patrick Jones, running back Chawntez Moss and defensive end Zack Gilbert will enroll in January, and the rest of the committed players can sign their letters of intent Feb. 3.

Sam Werner: swerner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SWernerPG.

 

First Published: December 18, 2015, 3:52 p.m.

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Pitt fans cheer on their team as they come on the field against Virginia on Oct. 10 at Heinz Field. Pitt saw its home attendance increase by 17 percent in 2015.  (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
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