UNLV Football Says So Long To Sam Boyd Stadium With Freebies In 2019
By Alan Snel
LVSportsBiz.com
Neither the UNLV football program nor its gridiron home at Sam Boyd Stadium is a part of college football lore.
But the fact is the Rebels are playing their final season at the ol’ football stadium some seven miles off campus near the Las Vegas Wash and the university thought it would be a fine idea to celebrate the 49th and final football season at the 40,000-seat venue that hosted UNLV stars like former NFLers Randall Cunningham and Ickey Woods.
UNLV’s football team is not only moving into a new training center on campus this fall, the Rebels will start playing in the Raiders stadium starting in 2020.
Here are the goodies coming your way if you attend games at Sam Boyd Stadium for one final season this year:
“As part of the celebration, season ticket holders will receive a commemorative mini-replica of Sam Boyd Stadium (one per account). Each of the six home games at Sam Boyd Stadium in 2019 will commemorate a specific decade, beginning with the 1970s during the August 31 home opener vs. Southern Utah.
“A guest former Rebel great will represent all the players from their decade while serving as honorary captain during the pregame coin toss. Special T-shirt giveaways will feature a decade-specific design for the first five games while the final home contest on Nov. 23 vs. San Jose State will feature a commemorative coin giveaway and an invitation to all former UNLV football players and staff to return to the stadium one last time to say goodbye. ”
The Raiders stadium construction cost is slightly more than $1.37 billion — part of an overall $1.88 billion project. Southern Nevada is giving $750 million to the Raiders to build the domed, 65,000-seat venue. The $750 million is the biggest NFL stadium public subsidy in history.
UNLV has seen a spike in first-time season ticket holders for Rebels football games because of an affordable season ticket offer — season tickets start as low as $99. With a UNLV football ticket program dubbed, “Faithful Fan Pricing initiative,” fans purchasing season tickets this year may purchase season tickets for the same per-game price in the new stadium opening in 2020.
Here’s UNLV coach Tony Sanchez at the Mountain West Conference media days last week discussing the role of the new stadium and training center.
UNLV even created a farewell logo and hashtag.
Under law, Sam Boyd Stadium is supposed to close after the Raiders stadium opens in 2020. But there could be talk behind the scenes to keep Sam Boyd Stadium open for other potential uses.
*
Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter and Instagram. Like LVSportsBiz.com on Facebook.
