TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
I have great news to report as I reach out to you before “The Good Word” takes a summer hiatus for a few weeks. Despite certain gloom and doom reports in the local media this week, our Yellow Jacket football season ticket sales continue to go quite well. We have already surpassed last season’s total number of tickets sold… and the heavy lifting by our new Georgia Tech Athletic Ticket Sales Team is just getting ready to begin.
Over the next two months we expect to have personal contact with tens of thousands of Georgia Tech constituents — reaching out with a personal invitation to involve them in this exciting era of Tech football. We’ll be enticing members of our own extended GT family to make a commitment to buy tickets and fill Bobby Dodd Stadium with White and Gold. I am confident that our people will step up, heed the call, and create a buzz the likes of which hasn’t been seen around here in a while.
If there is any question as to the excitement in our ranks at the present time, you need only to hear the news regarding our “in-family” offering of the available Tech-Georgia tickets for November’s showdown. Our season ticket holders were given an exclusive opportunity to purchase additional allotments of tickets to the rivalry game, based on the number of season tickets they now hold and whether they are in a TECH Fund location.
When the window to take advantage of this opportunity expired at the close of business last Friday, the demand for these tickets significantly exceeded our supply. This means all GT-UGA tickets outside of our contractual commitments will be in the hands of Georgia Tech season ticket holders. This overwhelming response, however, has required us to place limits on some allocations, based on Alexander-Tharpe Fund priority points. You will receive this information in the mail if you have requested tickets to the Tech-Georgia game.
This is the breakdown on how these tickets will be allocated:
Those fans with 1,000 or more A-T points will receive their full request for UGA tickets. Fans who have between 100-999 A-T points will receive a maximum of six (6) tickets in addition to those included with your season tickets. Those fans with 1-99 A-T points will receive a maximum of four (4) additional tickets. Fans in TECH Fund areas with zero (0) points will receive a maximum of four (4) additional tickets. And, our season ticket holders in non-TECH Fund areas will be allotted a maximum of two (2) additional UGA tickets. Finally, fans in our “Jackets Nest” seating will not be allotted additional UGA ticket purchases.
Keep in mind, Tech-Georgia tickets are still being included as part of our full season ticket packages that will continue to be sold through the month of August — while they last.
Since we are taking a few weeks off from our publishing schedule, I wanted to remind you of a couple of key dates coming up in August. Our annual Yellow Jacket Encounter (Fan Photo Day) will be held on Saturday, August 8th from 3-6 p.m. We will have the event on the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium again this year with gates open and players available for autographs at 4 p.m. There will be games, food and entertainment as well as merchandise on the Plaza throughout the afternoon.
Also, don’t forget to plan to attend our first annual Yellow Jacket Kickoff Luncheon, scheduled for Friday, August 28th at the Cobb Galleria. Coach Paul Johnson, his staff, and many of our top players will be on hand to give you a preview of the 2009 season. The Georgia Tech band, cheerleaders, Buzz and many other celebrities will be on hand. Tickets are $35 and tables of 10 for $350 will be available. Tickets are available now by clicking here. This is an event you don’t want to miss.
Finally, I have a great summer offer for all of you! Many of you may know that Dr. Randy Rhino, our former great All-American football player and member of the College Football Hall of Fame, has served our student-athletes with Chiropractic services on premises here since 2002. He has and continues to provide a great benefit to our program from his office here in the Edge Athletic Center. Now, we are happy to announce that his services are available to all Georgia Tech friends, family and Alumni. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Randy, simply call his office at 404-385-0446. You’ll be glad you did.
QUICK HITS
The Paul Johnson Radio Show kicks-off on Wednesday, August 26th. Every show will originate from Fox Sports Grill in Atlantic Station. Shows are from 7-8 p.m. on Wednesdays, except for the weeks in which we play on Thursday night. Those weeks the show will be held on Tuesdays. A complete schedule and list of affiliates can be found here.
The majority of the first round of the U.S. Open was rained out today, but it was fun to look on the scoreboard and see that our own Cameron Tringale is even par, one shot out of the lead. That’s one stroke better than Tiger Woods.
Sporting News ranks Georgia Tech’s running backs as the best running-back unit in the country. Read the story here.
Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay spoke to the Tech football team Wednesday night. See a short video from his talk here.
Congrats to the men’s track team, which had its highest NCAA Championships finish since 1998. Jerome Miller and Steve Marcelle both earned All-American honors. Read more here.
