UNM bracing for a sold-out University Stadium; here's a look at the attendance numbers and records

Apparently a bunch of New Mexicans heard there’d be a chile roaster at Saturday’s football game.

For the first time in more than 18 years, University Stadium appears headed for a sellout — 37,440 is the seating capacity in stadium’s current configuration — for Saturday’s Rio Grande Rivalry football game between the New Mexico State Aggies and New Mexico Lobos.

As of Thursday evening, UNM was sitting at 33,000 tickets sold for a game with a traditional huge push of sales in the final 24 hours.

Waiting to get tickets on Saturday, however, might not be a possibility this year.

“We’re really pleased with the momentum we’ve seen in ticket sales over the last three days,” said UNM Athletic Director Fernando Lovo. “... we’re encouraging all fans to purchase their tickets before Saturday. This is an exciting moment for our institution, our city, and our state — and we can’t wait to see a sold-out University Stadium this weekend.”

As of Tuesday, the day students from both schools unveiled “The Roaster” traveling trophy (a 30-pound table-top chile roaster with each school’s logo branded on a wooden base), UNM was still pushing for hitting 30,000 fans for Saturday’s 2 p.m. rivalry kickoff.

UNM social media accounts posted a graphic when they cleared 20,000 tickets sold and were pushing benchmarks of 27,414 (the announced attendance of the 2023 game in University Stadium), 32,427 (the announced attendance of the 2017 game) and 37,440 (the current capacity figure for University Stadium).

At his Tuesday afternoon press conference, first-year football coach Jason Eck, who’s been as visible and as vocal as can be about getting fans to jump on board since his December hire, said he wasn’t backing off the goal he set for the game earlier in the season — a 30,000 announced attendance. It’s a goal that may have seemed unlikely to many who have watched the program for the past decade-plus, or even looked at the 17,639 announced attendance for the team’s home opener on Sept. 6.

“I’ll stick to my pledge. I want to see 30,000,” Eck said. “I’ll be disappointed if we don’t have 30,000 people in the stadium.”

A little more than 48 hours later, the attendance was 33K and counting.

Even for a rivalry game, that’s rare air in this state.

Since stadium capacity was reconfigured in 2008, dropping the available number of seats below 40,000, there hasn’t been a UNM game break the 35,248 fans announced in the 2009 rivalry game.

This is also a program that as recently as three seasons ago averaged under 15,000 fans per game (14,966 in 2022).

The fact that this game features two teams with 2-1 records — the first Rio Grande Rivalry game with both the Lobos and Aggies carrying winning records since 1992 — helps, but the randomness of the game getting big crowds has been a bit of a head-scratcher.

The stadium’s record attendance of 44,760 came in 2005 when a winless NMSU team came to town (and ultimately finished 0-12 that season) while the Lobos went 6-5.

There have been 13 sellouts of University Stadium, including four times against New Mexico State. The last sellout was an announced crowd of 41,033 for the Sept. 8, 2007 rivalry game (UNM won 44-34) in a stadium configuration that reportedly had a capacity of 40,094.

Announced attendance in Abq. since 2009:

• 2023: 27,414

• 2021: 28,470

• 2019: 27,269

• 2017: 32,427

• 2015: 30,900

• 2013: 29,712

• 2011: 30,091

• 2009: 35,248

UNM has set up a website for all parking-related information, including maps of multiple new lots opened up for Saturday and details on a free park and ride service.