Canvas Game Day to Feature New Engagements

Before John Weber had the interim from his title as the Director of Athletics removed by President Amy Parsons, he had a checklist of priorities. One which stood very near the top was creating a more engaging game-day environment at all Colorado State athletic venues.

Eventually ideas need action, resulting in a host of innovations Weber believes fans will appreciate when the football team hosts Northern Colorado for the home opener on Sept. 7.

"That was a very early on approach we had to find experiences in Moby Arena, in Canvas Stadium, in any of our venues. We want to make this a fun atmosphere, an engaged atmosphere," Weber said. "We talked about how everybody on game day has a job to do. I've talked to Dawn Burton who is in charge of our spirit teams, and I've spoken with Dr. Jayme Taylor about our band and extending what they do in terms of them making our teams one score better. That's what we want to do, and we want to extend that to all of our fans.

"It's our job to create an environment which is engaging in a way which gets people into our venues early, be loud and stay late. Everything we can do to create an experience and keeps people coming back and being engaged with our program is exactly what we're after."

Even in the new, there is a nod to the old. The initial firing of Comatose in the stadium has been moved to 48 minutes prior to kickoff, a direct link to the number the legendary Fum McGraw wore. The band has been moved from the corner of the north end zone to the 50-yard line behind the visiting team. While attending games, students will enjoy discounted prices for food at concessions.

Outside the stadium, a March to Victory (hosted by ASCSU) has been created, tailgating extended has been extended and there have been improvements made to enhance the Ram Walk and student tailgates.

"There's a long history of athletics at Colorado State, some great people who have come through our university," Weber said. "Honoring those people in a way which becomes tradition is really important to me, and it's important to our fanbase that we recognize those folks in a very meaningful way.

"Moving the band to the 50, it gets them back in the middle of the student section. The more we can work with the student section and use our cheer and pom teams to work in unison with our students to create a competitive advantage for our teams, it additionally creates an atmosphere for everyone in attendance. We're looking for every strategic advantage we can find, and moving the band to the 50 and right behind our opponents, why wouldn't we want that?"

Each home game will feature different themes, some featuring colors such as Ag Day and State Pride, a White Out and a Green Out. There will be contests which salute certain groups in the community and around the state, as well as honoring individuals. Rams Legend weekend will honor the 2024 Hall of Fame Class, and the opening game will celebrate the life of Lt. Col. John Mosley has his number will be retired and unveiled on the facia of the stadium.

A key new feature will be the Battering Ram, which will lead the team onto the field.

The March to Victory was established as an alert for fans to head to the entrance to be inside Canvas Stadium in time to enjoy all the pregame events and ceremonies surrounding each weekend's theme.

"It's another opportunity to engage our fans while they're out there tailgating, but it's also the signal that it's time to come inside. It's a ceremonial march where we stop in several places and have the band play to different groups," Weber said. "We want that to be the signal it's time to get in the stadium, so you don't miss a lot of fun things we have planned for prior to kickoff they'll want to be a part of."

For Weber, there are two overriding goals: One is to make each contest a special, interactive experience for the fans. In doing so, he believes the second will fall into place – making Colorado State's venues the toughest place to play in the Mountain West in the most sportsmanlike manner.

On the opening Saturday of the home football season, Weber will be a bit of a fan of himself. He'll speak with the fans himself, taking input on the changes to see what hits, what may need an additional tweak.

"We're going to try some things, and hopefully they all work. If they don't, we want that feedback so we can adjust and continue to improve the gameday experience," he said. "I believe in the concept of continuous improvement. From that perspective, we have to have feedback from the fanbase so we know what we can do to continue to make things better every single time. Never satisfied should be the mantra we have relative to the gameday experience."

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results