Mullen Wants The Swamp Packed with Florida Gators... And He Might Get His Wish
Dan Mullen is a football coach of the people.
No, that does not mean Mullen takes what his critics say to heart and acts accordingly. In fact, Mullen has never been known to buckle under the pressure of his team’s fanbase.
He is, however, his team’s fanbase’s biggest fan. Mullen loves seeing people in the stands. And he’s made that crystal clear on a number of occasions.
Sometimes, it’s a good look:
Sometimes, it’s a controversial look:
And other times, it’s just a bad, bad take:
Regardless, the common denominator is this: Dan Mullen loves playing in an environment that has fans cheek-to-cheek and fired up. And after a season like 2020, Mullen and the Gators are going to be reeling to look up at the walls of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and see more than 17,000 fans.
And if student ticket sales at the University of Florida are any indication, packing The Swamp just the way Mullen likes should be no problem. Student tickets had officially been sold out, UF announced on Tuesday.
On the first day of student ticket sales back in May, over 7,000 tickets were purchased. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, 16,500 student tickets were sold. It’s unclear what “sold out” means in terms of quantity, but one could guess it’s approaching the 20,000 mark.
Naturally, Florida’s attractive slate of home games this season have helped bolster ticket sales.
Of the Gators’ three-game ticket packages, which include Alabama, Tennessee and FSU plus Vanderbilt and a choice between FAU and Samford, the Alabama plan has sold out.
Tickets to the Alabama game being offered from the UAA have also sold out and are only available through resale. A full house is expected when the Gators host the Crimson Tide on Sept. 18.
To date, the University of Florida or the Southeastern Conference hasn’t made mentions of limiting capacity at football games this fall.
Last weekend, former longtime Gainesville Sun reporter Pat Dooley tweeted that he had caught wind that the University would be nixing tailgating ahead of the season opener against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 4.
However, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin was quick to respond, squashing the rumor.
However, with the number of coronavirus cases rising once again, the feeling of not knowing what’s around the corner is eerily similar to that of last season.
While both the UAA at UF and the SEC are “backing the vax” and encouraging players, coaches and other team personnel to get vaccinated for the coronavirus, it’s not that simple.
Of the ten states with the lowest vaccination percentages, six are states containing an SEC school, according to the Mayo Clinic. The State of Florida appears to be in the middle of the pack with half of its population fully vaccinated. The country’s average is 51%.
As it relates to the Gators, Mullen told the media last week that the team’s vaccination percentage continues to rise.
While he said the Gators hadn’t reached the ranks of Ole Miss, which Lane Kiffin said boasted a 100% vaccination rate, Mullen said it’s a number to be proud of.
“Our vaccinations continue to increase,” Mullen said last Thursday. “I don’t know the exact number. We’re not at 100%, but we’re really very, very, very high that way. We’re at a grade that you could bring home to your parents, you wouldn’t have to hide that report card. We’re at a percentage where you’d be proud to bring your report card home with our percentage number on there.”
Florida’s season kicks off in just over two weeks when the Florida Atlantic Owls come to Gainesville for a game under the lights.
It’s obvious that students have an appetite for college football after being away last season. And for Dan Mullen’s sake, hopefully students arrive early and stay late. Because he wants them and everyone else in The Swamp this fall.
“Hopefully we’re able to get back to some normalcy in the fall when we hit the field again,” Mullen said back in March. “I think all the Gator Nation is going to be excited. Everyone I see is like, ‘Boy, I hope we can pack the Swamp. I hope we get there; I hope to get it back to where we want it to be as the fans.’
“They’re desperate to get back into the stadium and to go experience Saturdays in the Swamp. And so hopefully through all the precautions and everything going on we’re able to stay safe and we’re able to fill the stadium this fall.”
Comments