SDSU’s Miller Reveals Marketing Plan: Coaches Will Moonlight as Ticket Reps

Fred Miller, San Diego State athletic director, announced a marketing plan Friday that he hopes will erase a $750,000 budget deficit within two years.

According to the plan, SDSU will combine its annual Aztec Athletic Foundation fund drive with football season-ticket sales. In addition, SDSU coaches in all sports but football will have their budgets frozen, any increases being based on football season tickets they sell.

“The money goes into a restricted fund for their sport,” Miller said. “It’s a little unusual to ask your baseball coach to sell football tickets, but it makes pretty good sense to me. He will get 25% of what he sells, and, if we can get football going from here, everybody in the department will benefit from the increase in revenue.”

SDSU sold 8,000 football season tickets last year, when it finished 5-6-1. Miller is hoping to triple season ticket sales for 1986.

Under the new marketing plan, first-time season ticket buyers will be asked to contribute to the Aztec Athletic Foundation if they wish to sit between the goal lines. Current season ticket-holders will receive their same seats from last year without a contribution to the foundation, Miller said.

SDSU is hoping to obtain 75 sponsors at $10,000 apiece for its Golden Aztec Ring plan. Contributors receive a custom-made gold ring, 18 football season tickets on the press level, exclusive use of the Stadium Club, free parking, two basketball season tickets and four invitations to a black-tie Golden Ring dinner in the summer.

Individual press level seats will also be made available for $500 per seat plus the $90 charge for the actual ticket. The plan also includes VIP parking and half-priced basketball season tickets.

Priority seating on the plaza and loge levels also will be made available for $25 to $100 donations in addition to the price of the ticket. Each of the plans also includes half-priced basketball season tickets.

All season ticket-holders in the priority plans will receive an Aztec Plus card that gives discounts to sporting events, amusement parks, restaurants and theaters throughout San Diego County.

Non-priority season tickets will be available for $46 in the upper level, $70 in the west end zone and $34 in the east end zone below the scoreboard.

SDSU’s six-game home schedule in 1986 includes UCLA, Brigham Young, Air Force, Wyoming, Hawaii and Cal State Long Beach.

‘It’s a little unusual to ask your baseball coach to sell football tickets, but it makes pretty good sense to me. He will get 25% of what he sells, and, if we can get football going from here, everybody in the department will benefit from the increase in revenue.’--Fred Miller