College Football Attendance Increased by 75,883 in 1986

Total attendance at the 3,339 college football games played last season rose by only 75,883, by far the smallest increase on record, the NCAA announced.

Statistics compiled from 666 four-year colleges with varsity football teams--510 of them NCAA members--showed total attendance of 36,387,905. The next smallest increase in attendance was 217,953 in 1955.

The attendance record of 36,652,179 set in 1984, and last season’s total was the third highest.

With five more varsity football teams and 30 more games played last season than in 1985, the average attendance of 10,898 per game was down slightly, by .69%.

Among the major schools in the NCAA’s Division I-A, however, total attendance rose better than 10% to 25,692,095. Average attendance in that division was 42,049, up from 42,040 the previous year.

To no surprise, Michigan led the nation in football attendance for the 13th consecutive season. The Wolverines averaged 105,210 for six home games, an increase of 4,746 from the previous year’s average.

Tennessee was next with an average of 91,902 for seven home games, followed by Ohio State with 89,368, national champion Penn State with 85,100 and Georgia with 79,596.

Florida is the only new member of the top 10 in attendance, moving up from 11th to ninth with an average of 75,455. Clemson was sixth with 79,400, Louisiana State seventh with 78,067, Nebraska eighth with 76,031 and Oklahoma 10th with 75,083.