Insight Bowl officials expect more than 50,000 fans

A victory for Missouri will result in the team's third-ever 11-win season.

By Tony Puricelli

Published Dec. 27, 2010

Record-high attendance is expected in Tempe, Ariz. on Tuesday for the 2010 Insight Bowl where the 12th-ranked Missouri Tigers will face off against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Insight and Fiesta Bowls spokesman Andy Bagnato said more than 50,000 fans are expected to attend the game.

This attendance would be an Insight Bowl record crowd.

“The Insight Bowl has really gone to a different level this year,” Bagnato said.

This year will also mark the first time a BCS-ranked team will play in the Insight Bowl.

“We feel like people here in Phoenix really got excited about this game,” Bagnato said. “You’ve got a Missouri team that is number 12 in the country. You’ve got an Iowa team that maybe they didn’t finish the season the way they wanted to, but certainly they are renowned for their support of their team.”

Bagnato said these two factors combined with the hospitality and fair weather of Phoenix, Ariz. create an enticing package for fans.

“These two teams border each other, and they haven’t played since 1910,” Bagnato said. “That alone I think is reason to keep your eyes on this one.”

The Tigers look to not only increase their lead in the all-time series against the Hawkeyes to 8-5 but also to achieve their third 11-win season in team history.

“Everybody wants to end their season with a victory,” coach Gary Pinkel said in a news conference. “I think you want to finish. We use that term a lot. You want to finish. To win 11 games would be huge, but the bottom line, we’ve got to do it.”

It might be for these reasons Tigers fans have rallied in support of the game.

“Our fans are the best and we just — I want to be a great travel for Bowl games,” Pinkel said. “I think we need to do that. There is no reason on Earth we can't.”

Although MU Athletic Department spokespeople did not return phone calls with questions regarding the university's ticket sales, MU’s efforts to increase attendance have not gone unnoticed. Bagnato applauded the bus trip organized by MU to transport students to the game.

The previous attendance record of 49,385 occurred in 1997 when Arizona beat New Mexico 20-14. That game took place in Tucson, Ariz. and was a home game for the Wildcats.

Sine the bowl’s move to Sun Devil Stadium five years ago, the largest crowd has been 49,103 in 2008 when Kansas defeated Minnesota 42-21.

Due to ticket sales from both Missouri and Iowa, as well as sales through the Insight Bowl directly, Bagnato said 50,000 people are expected to fill Sun Devil Stadium, which seats 56,000.

Iowa, like Missouri, was allotted 11,000 seats of which around 6,000 were sold. This turn out is lower than what the team has seen in the past, said Iowa Ticket Manager Pam Finke.

“The season didn’t end as well as our fans were hoping for,” Finke said.

Season records aside, the biggest deal breaker for potential Insight Bowl attendees might be the geographical barrier.

Finke cited the cost of travelling to Phoenix as one major reason Hawkeye fans might be hesitant to attend the bowl game.

“It’s the same way for Columbia,” Finke said. “This is a long way from where our student base is.”

Finke also said Iowa understands these challenges and offered no ticket deals to encourage students to attend.

“It’s hard for students to get (to Phoenix) and it’s three days after Christmas,” Finke said.

Kickoff for the Insight Bowl is 9 p.m. CST Tuesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.