by David Chapman
Staff Writer
This year’s Konica Minolta Gator Bowl matchup between Florida State and West Virginia might be memorable on the field come New Year’s Day. But Gator Bowl Association and City officials are looking to make it a memorable experience for fans coming to town to see the end of an era.
The game, the last for longtime FSU head coach Bobby Bowden, has already drawn a crowd as the game sold out within hours of Sunday’s official announcement. It’s a hot ticket on the secondhand market, too.
According to Joellen Fisher, corporate communications manager for ticket marketplace StubHub, only the BCS title game and Rose Bowl — both of which are in Pasadena, Calif. this year — have surpassed Gator Bowl sales on its site. Additionally, gross sales for the game are ahead of last year’s game and it’s the highest dollar-volume Gator Bowl in the company’s nine-year history, said Fisher.
Tickets for Bowden’s farewell game remain a hot item, but the events leading to the game could also feature a little more flair as officials from the Gator Bowl Association and City’s Office of Special Events meet to discuss ways to enhance the experience for football fans and fans of the coach.
“The games have always been great for quality of life and a tremendous success, but we feel this one is going to have a little more juice,” said Theresa O’Donnell Price, director of the City’s Office of Special Events.
Suggestions focused on how to make Bowden more visible to the general public during the week, said O’Donnell Price, as many times coaches don’t have much face time during the week. Potential ideas discussed, she said, included having Bowden in the annual Gator Bowl parade and moving the already sold-out Coaches Luncheon and Hall of Fame Induction to a larger venue. Additionally, O’Donnell Price said there’s the possibility of creating a Web site for fans to blog about the coach as well as creating buttons and fans with his likeness for game patrons to display.
While one could think West Virginia fans could feel slighted by the Bowden adulation, O’Donnell Price said they’ve had extremely positive responses.
“They’ve been so magnanimous,” she said. “They have a history (with Bowden) and they’ll be sharing in the experience.”
There shouldn’t be a shortage of them, either, said Lyndsay Rossman of Visit Jacksonville, as Mountaineer fans have always traveled extremely well to the game. While the proximity might normally keep Seminole fans from staying overnight, Rossman said the overall event surrounding Bowden’s retirement could mean more FSU fans coming and staying in Jacksonville for a longer period of time — especially with the way the calendar falls.
“They have fans all across the country,” said Rossman, referring to FSU. “There will be a lot of events during the week and with New Year’s Day falling on a Friday this year, we are hoping people come to town and make it a great weekend.”
Rossman had no details on if local room bookings mirrored game ticket sales, but the organization will soon begin to reach out to local hotels to monitor room availability and trends.
While the game is set and tickets are gone, the events and factors leading to the game could alter slightly over the course of the next few weeks — but fans shouldn’t expect a drop off.
“We’ll continue meeting and nothing is set just yet,” said O’Donnell Price. “But what we do know is that it’s going to be good.”
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