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Intercollegiate Athletics Unveils Details of 90Ksu Plan; Announces Football Game Times

When Joel Nielsen was officially introduced as Kent State University’s 11th Director of Intercollegiate Athletics in late March, he articulated that one of his first goals was to put an increased emphasis on the Golden Flashes’ football program.

He backed that bold statement up less than two weeks later with the hiring of Executive Associate Athletic Director Thomas Kleinlein from Arizona State to head up the administration of the football program. The process took another step forward with the unveiling of the “90Ksu: Everyone Counts” initiative.

Already charged with meeting the NCAA-mandated attendance goal of 90,000 tickets sold for the season (an average of 15,000 per home game), Kent State is revamping the way it approaches football.

“I’ve said from day one that football is going to be a priority, and the NCAA already had its attendance requirement in place, so we decided to take both notions and turn them into one campaign,” Nielsen says. “We’re embracing the NCAA number and seeing how far we can run with it.

“This isn’t just about selling tickets though,” Nielsen continues. “This is about improving the fan experience and about making Dix Stadium a destination six times each fall. We want students, alumni, our faculty and staff and the community as a whole to be actively involved in and take pride in Golden Flashes football.”

The far-reaching plan includes everything from placing an increased emphasis on marketing, to creating a game day atmosphere that starts with a completely new tailgating experience, to making a trip to Dix Stadium not only affordable, but memorable and fun.

“I have a vision of parking lots filled with tailgaters, Dix Stadium packed with fans wearing their blue and gold and little kids running around on the field after a Kent State victory,” Nielsen says. “We’re going to do everything we can to make that vision a reality.”

To learn more about the program and for updates throughout the summer, visit www.90Ksu.com.
Kent State, which returns 49 letterwinners and 20 starters from last year’s team, kicks off the season in Dix Stadium at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Murray State. The Oct. 9 Homecoming clash against local rival The University of Akron will begin at 3:30 p.m., while the remaining four home games will all start at 2 p.m. (Oct. 30 vs. Ball State; Nov. 6 vs. Temple; Nov. 13 vs. Army and Nov.26 vs. Ohio University).

Golden Flashes 2010 football season tickets are available for as low as $30 for the six-game home slate (a $90 value). Call 330-672-2244 or go to www.kentstatesports.com for more information.

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