Cris Dishman’s first year as Texas Southern head coach has gone better than expected. The Tigers are 4-6 overall and have a chance to finish with a winning SWAC West record at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Yet, Dishman was bothered by the crowd—or lack thereof—at the Tigers’ 17-14 win over Bethune-Cookman last Saturday, a point he expressed clearly during Monday’s SWAC coaches’ conference.
“We probably had less than 1,500 people and that’s the most disappointing thing to see in a 30,000-seat stadium,” Dishman said. “For those of you who came, thank you guys for coming. For those who weren’t there, get your tickets and come to the game. Stop saying what you should do and do it.”
The official attendance listed for Saturday’s game was 6,916, with Shell Energy Stadium’s official capacity listed at 20,656. According to the Texas Southern football website, their season attendance averaged 10,225 per game, less than half of SES’ capacity.
Charged with the task of rebuilding a program that has not recorded a winning season since their now-vacated SWAC championship year of 2010, Dishman urged more crowd support as he prepares for 2025.
“The most frustrating thing was to see not that many people in the stands,” he said. “I think that everyone from Texas Southern should come out and support Texas Southern sports. Get in the stands and cheer these guys on.”
