COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - For the 14th time in the last 15 seasons, and 19th time overall, Saint John's University led NCAA Division III in football attendance in 2015.
SJU averaged 7,625 fans per game over the course of the season, with a seven game total of 53,372 fans. Collegeville was the premier location for Division III, beating out second-place Wisconsin-Whitewater by a total of 16,638 fans and an average of 1,503 spectators per game. St. Thomas finished third with 17,996 total fans less than SJU and an average of 3,694 less per game, despite hosting two more games than the Johnnies.
The Johnnie totals were aided by the annual "Johnnie-Tommie" game Sept. 26, which drew the largest recorded football attendance in NCAA Division III history with an announced crowd of 17,327 spectators. The crowd eclipsed the previous record of 16,421 at the 2010 Johnnie-Tommie game. That game alone attracted more fans than the cumulative season totals for 224 teams in Division III, 104 teams in Division II, and 19 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs.
SJU's cumulative total of 53,372 fans was greater than two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams, Ball State and Eastern Michigan.
SJU football was a popular destination every Saturday. The Johnnies played in five of the top 10 games for attendance in Division III, including four in Clemens Stadium. The fifth game, the second meeting against St. Thomas, was a crowd of 8,025 in the second round of the NCAA playoffs Nov. 28 in St. Paul.
Other National Leaders
FBS: Michigan (110,168 per game)
FCS: Montana (24,139 per game)
Division II: Grand Valley State (12,365)
SJU ended the 2015 season ranked No. 10 nationally and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs for the second consecutive year, finishing with a 10-2 overall record (7-1 MIAC). The Johnnies are expected to return 13 of their 24 starters (five on offense, six on defense and both special-teams specialists) this fall.
2015 NCAA Division III Football Attendance Leaders
| No. |
School |
Gms. |
Total |
Avg. |
| 1. |
Saint John's |
7 |
53,372 |
7,625 |
| 2. |
UW-Whitewater |
6 |
36,734 |
6,122 |
| 3. |
Emory & Henry (Va.) |
5 |
27,481 |
5,496 |
| 4. |
Geneva (Pa.) |
5 |
23,986 |
4,797 |
| 5. |
Hampden-Sydney (Va.) |
5 |
23,550 |
4,710 |
| 6. |
Concordia-Moorhead |
5 |
21,697 |
4,339 |
| 7. |
McDaniel (Md.) |
6 |
24,482 |
4,080 |
| 8. |
Christopher Newport (Va.) |
5 |
20,053 |
4,011 |
| 9. |
Trine (Ind.) |
5 |
20,039 |
4,008 |
| 10. |
St. Thomas |
9 |
35,376 |
3,931 |
2015 SJU vs. FCS/Division II Schools in Upper Midwest
| No. |
School |
NCAA |
Gms. |
Total |
Avg. |
| 1. |
North Dakota State |
FCS |
9 |
166,472 |
18,497 |
| 2. |
South Dakota State |
FCS |
6 |
77,394 |
12,899 |
| 3. |
Northern Iowa |
FCS |
6 |
69,293 |
11,549 |
| 4. |
South Dakota |
FCS |
5 |
45,140 |
9,028 |
| 5. |
North Dakota |
FCS |
5 |
41,589 |
8,318 |
| 6. |
Saint John's |
III |
7 |
53,372 |
7,625 |
| 7. |
MSU-Mankato |
II |
6 |
26,978 |
4,496 |
| 8. |
Minnesota-Duluth |
II |
5 |
20,383 |
4,077 |
| 9. |
Augustana (S.D.) |
II |
6 |
21,795 |
3,633 |
| 10. |
Southwest Minn. St. |
II |
5 |
16,259 |
3,252 |
2015 MIAC Football Attendance Leaders
| No. |
School |
Gms. |
Total |
Avg. |
| 1. |
Saint John's |
7 |
53,372 |
7,625 |
| 2. |
Concordia-Moorhead |
5 |
21,697 |
4,339 |
| 3. |
St. Thomas |
9 |
35,376 |
3,931 |
| 4. |
Bethel |
5 |
18,933 |
3,787 |
| 5. |
Gustavus |
5 |
11,011 |
2,202 |
| 6. |
Hamline |
5 |
9,573 |
1,915 |
| 7. |
Augsburg |
5 |
6,801 |
1,360 |
| 8. |
Carleton |
5 |
5,801 |
1,160 |
| 9. |
St. Olaf |
5 |
5,018 |
1,004 |
