Rebels still trying to fill the Boyd

Remember those ambitious plans the UNLV sports marketing department had a year ago to sell 10,000 football season tickets through its "Touchdown Club?" And how it fell way short of expectations?

After managing this year to sell just 2,000 tickets during a 6 1/2-month promotion, the Touchdown Club is trying again to make a first down.

This time, the goal is a more modest 4,000 season seats, instead of 10,000, by the time the home season kicks off Sept. 12 against Air Force at Sam Boyd Stadium.

The Touchdown Club, comprised of UNLV fans and local businesses who buy season tickets, then bring others into the fold by getting them to buy tickets, is in its second season.

There are various levels of the club. The more tickets one sells, the more perks he receives.

Judging by the early returns, the season ticket drive has been one of the better-kept secrets in town. Only 600 have been sold, although a local cellular company has purchased 1,000 tickets as part of a promotion. Any fan who buys a cell phone and service with the company receives two free season tickets.

Steve Stallworth, the school's director of sports marketing, remains optimistic the Touchdown Club will meet its goal. He's also hoping there will be an 80 percent renewal on the 8,000 football season tickets that were sold a year ago, which includes scholarship donor seats and non-Touchdown Club purchases.

"Our goal was to get individuals involved and that's still our goal," he said of the program. "We've got a goal (of 4,000) and I think you'll see a push once we get close to the season."

Stallworth said interest in football doesn't pick up until three weeks before the start of the season, which this year kicks off Sept. 5 at Northwestern. That's when he expects the bulk of the sales to come.

As for last year's campaign, Stallworth said there's no shame in having tried.

"I have no problem having failed," he said. "We had a plan in place and we thought we could do it. We tried. We just couldn't do it.

"But this is a realistic goal. Four thousand tickets is realistic. I'd be very disappointed if we came up short."

Thanks to the cellular company's commitment, UNLV is nearly halfway there. Still, Stallworth knows there's work to be done, what with the team coming off a 3-8 season and having lost its marquee player in quarterback Jon Denton.

"We're pushing the idea of value, of coming out and having a good time," he said. "With our $35 season ticket, you can go to a college football game for the price of a movie -- seven bucks."

UNLV has five home games scheduled.

Rebels coach Jeff Horton said he had no problem with the scaled-back goal of the Touchdown Club.

"If we can get 4,000 tickets sold, that would be great," he said.

"You know what I always say, I look at the glass as half-full. Whatever we sell, we'd be getting more out of it than had we done nothing."

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