With a post-Thanksgiving Day crowd of 8,340 for the contest against Ohio, Kent State has officially topped the 90,000 mark for its football season attendance. The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics launched its ambitious "90Ksu: Everyone Counts" initiative over the summer to drive attendance at Dix Stadium.

Flash and the football team drew more
than 90,000 fans this football season.

While the official number won't be known until the yearly audit is complete, it's believed that between 90,000 and 92,000 tickets were sold in 2010 - a nearly 200 percent increase over tickets sold in 2009.

"From the bottom of my heart, I'd like to thank our wonderful fans who turned out to watch the Golden Flashes play this season," says Kent State Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen. "Reaching this goal would not have been possible without the support of our university administration, our students and the community."

The Homecoming crowd of 24,221 that saw the Golden Flashes top Akron on Oct. 9 highlighted the six-game home slate. It was the third-largest attendance in the 42-year history of the stadium.

"We hope that the experience people had at Dix Stadium this season will lead the fans to come back in upcoming years," Nielsen says. "We want to continue to build and grow our fan base on this foundation of success. Now, we need that same level of support to continue in basketball, backing our 'Drive for 20' campaign for both our men's and women's programs."

The "Drive for 20" initiative supports Kent State's basketball programs as they strive for 20 victories and their respective post-season berths.

By Alan Ashby