July 23, 2003

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The excitement is building in College Park even during the middle stretches of the summer, as football season-ticket sales are reaching new heights. For the first time in school history, football season-ticket sales have topped 25,000.

"We're happy to top 25,000, but our goal for 2003 is to sell all 30,000 season tickets, according to senior associate athletics director Joe Hull.

"We're seeing a strong increase in the excitement and interest in Maryland football this year," Hull said. "This is obviously due to the recent success of our outstanding football program, but is also a reflection on the fact that our football games offer fans throughout the state and the area a fun, affordable entertainment value on Saturdays."

Hull said the 30,000 figure would sell all the tickets available for season-ticket purchases in Byrd Stadium. From the capacity of 51,500 permanent and bleacher seats in Byrd, the athletics department sets aside 11,000 for university students, 5,000 are reserved for visiting teams and another 5,500 seats are dedicated to individual-game sales for events like Homecoming and Family Weekend.

"Fewer than 5,000 season tickets remain for Maryland football," said Hull. "A few years ago, tickets to Maryland football were plentiful and now we are closing in on a season-ticket sellout. The change is remarkable."

Director of Athletics Deborah A. Yow has indicated that two years of season-ticket sellouts would be the impetus to consider stadium expansion to approximately 62,000 seats.

Maryland has improved its football season-ticket sales in each of the last two seasons, with 22,000 from 2002 and the nearly 17,000 from 2001.

The Terrapins, ranked 13th in both major polls at the end of last season, finished 11-2 overall and were the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl champions in a 30-3 victory over the University of Tennessee. Maryland is coming off back-to-back seasons with double figures in wins for the first time in school history. Sixteen starters return to a Terrapin team that most experts predict will be one of the best in the nation.

Maryland opens its 2003 home season against The Citadel and West Virginia on Sept. 13 and 20. ACC opponents coming to Byrd Stadium this year are Clemson (Oct. 4), Duke (Oct. 11), North Carolina (Nov. 1) and Virginia (Nov. 13) for a Thursday-night ESPN contest.

The Terrapins travel to Northern Illinois in the 2003 season-opener on Thursday, Aug. 28 for a game to be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Net.

For ticket information, contact the Maryland Athletics Ticket Office at 301-314-7070 or 800-462-TERP.