Was this season a minor setback for a major comeback for CAU football?
Updated: Mar 13, 2021
As the CAU Panthers’ football team continued to drop football games, so did fan attendance at games.
When the new season kicked off, attendance for the week one matchup against Livingstone College was high with 3,503 fans in attendance. However as the season progressed and the Panthers began to lose games, fan attendance started to dwindle. Their last two home games had an average of 1,152 in attendance, way below their season average of 2,170.
Sophomore student Nhire King said winning games would have ultimately brought attendance back to games. “The games I attended, [CAU] didn’t play bad. I feel like people weren’t as hype about the games like last year. If they would’ve won more games, attendance at the games would have risen.”
Through nine games, the Panthers did not win a game this season under first-year head coach Tim Bowens. CAU averaged 17.9 points per game, which was the second lowest in the SIAC, and allowed 30.3 points per game, which was the third worst in the SIAC. In addition, they lost by an average of 12.4 points each game, which was the second worst in the SIAC.
Despite the poor season, season ticket holder Steve Carnegie kept on supporting the Panthers with optimism. “I’m very proud of the team. They played very, very hard, and they competed from beginning to end.” He continued by encouraging fans, especially freshmen students, to come out and support the Panthers. “This year was a year of transition due to the new head coach and the team being relatively young. Next year, they will do a lot better.”
The Panthers will conclude their season away from CAU, playing against their conference rival: Morehouse College.
Photo taken by Add Seymour Jr.
This story has been originally published in Clark Atlanta University's student newspaper - the Panther. For inquiries, email James McJunkins: jamesolaf@comcast.net