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Attendance figures are in for the 2011 season in Big 12 football. Not surprisingly, the biggest boost in attendance over the previous year was realized at schools that had the better success on the field.
Texas reported the highest average attendance among the 10 Big 12 schools, at 100, 524, but also sports the largest stadium in 87-year-old Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium, first built in 1924 and renamed in 1996 after its former coach and longtime athletic director. The "DKR," as it is affectionately called, has the largest seating capacity in the state of Texas. The average attendance at the Longhorns' six home dates in 2011 was slightly lower than in 2010, when Texas finished the season with a 5-7 record, the worst in head coach Mack Brown's 13 years at Texas to that point.
The biggest jump in average annual attendance was at Iowa State, which increased to 53,647 from 45,395 the year before, a jump of 18 percent. The Cyclones improved to 6-7 overall this past season, and was the only team to defeat No.3-ranked Oklahoma State this season. The Cowboys, who won their first conference football championship in the Big 12 era, also reported an increase in attendance, going from an average of 50,812 at Boone Pickens Stadium in 2010 to 57,229, an increase of 13 percent, in the season just ended.
The biggest decline in attendance in 2011 was at Kansas, which went down six percent this season, to 42,283, from 44,852 the year before. Texas Tech and Texas were the only other conference schools to show an average attendance decline in 2011.
Here is how all of the Big 12 schools fared in attendance in 2011 vs. 2010:
2011 Big 12 Football Average Attendance*
(2010 average and conference rank)
1. Texas - 100,524 (100,654 - first)
2. Texas A&M - 87,183 (82,477 - third)
3. Oklahoma - 85,161 (84,738 - second)
4. Missouri - 62,095 (61,540 - fourth)
5. Oklahoma State - 57,229 (50,812 - sixth)
6. Texas Tech - 55,347 (57,108 - fifth)
7. Iowa State - 53,647 (45,395 - eighth)
8. Kansas State - 49,030 (49,816 - seventh)
9. Kansas - 42,283 (44,852 - ninth)
10. Baylor - 41,368 (40,043 - tenth)
*Source: Sports Business Daily
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