Tell me about a home playoff game experience...

[AKBison]

The only bison games I have ever been to have been at the dome. As we all know, that means I have never seen a Bison Playoff game. I have been to several Chiefs playoff games and several NIT games. Both of those atmospheres were electric compared to a regular season game. One of the chiefs games was against the Raiders and outside of halftime we never sat down. I know that the Sue have had terrible playoff atmospheres and very low attendance but I just can't imagine that being a problem for us, especially this year. It seems like a lot of corporate sponsors and knitting blue hairs don't purchase playoff tickets which opens up a lot of premium seating for average fans. Could you tell a regular season game from a playoff game at Dacotah?

I live in Alaska and am planning on making the trek down to see that first Dome playoff game. I cannot freaking wait!

[90BISON]

The only bison games I have ever been to have been at the dome. As we all know, that means I have never seen a Bison Playoff game. I have been to several Chiefs playoff games and several NIT games. Both of those atmospheres were electric compared to a regular season game. One of the chiefs games was against the Raiders and outside of halftime we never sat down. I know that the Sue have had terrible playoff atmospheres and very low attendance but I just can't imagine that being a problem for us, especially this year. It seems like a lot of corporate sponsors and knitting blue hairs don't purchase playoff tickets which opens up a lot of premium seating for average fans. Could you tell a regular season game from a playoff game at Dacotah?

I live in Alaska and am planning on making the trek down to see that first Dome playoff game. I cannot freaking wait!

Usually the weather at DF is what seperated the men from the boys. Some of the playoff games were just flat a** cold, especially after 3 or 4 hours, that and the south grandstands never saw the sun the whole time. I think the atmosphere will be much different than it was at DF, somewhat due to just sheer number of people, and hopefully the students would turn out in even larger numbers than during the regular season games. And like you alluded to, I think some of the recreational fans will be replaced by people who travel in from far and wide to finally see a playoff game in the dome. It will be rockin'.....:nod: I personally saw almost all the playoff games at DF, but am very much looking forward to several in the FD.:nod: :nod: :nod:

[stevdock]

As one who is not a season ticket holder, but has been to every home game since 94, except for 3 years I lived in AZ, I am hoping to be in line early enough to get a few playoff tickets myself. I personally expect the tickets to go incredibly fast.

[semobison]

I dont think I missed a home playoff game in the 80's. It was cold, most of the fans were lubericated, and we were always kicking sombodys a$$. I can still here the stomping in the south bleachers and the clapping of heavy gloves and mittens. Ahh...those were some good days!!

[Hammerhead]

Only die-hard fans dared brave those cold Saturdays after Thanksgiving for playoff games and fans loved giving it to the teams from warmer climates who had probably never played in a game below 60 degrees.

Wasn't there an assistant coach who wore shorts every game and had beet-red legs on those frigid days?

[d3boys]

I dont think I missed a home playoff game in the 80's. It was cold, most of the fans were lubericated, and we were always kicking sombodys a$$. I can still here the stomping in the south bleachers and the clapping of heavy gloves and mittens. Ahh...those were some good days!!

and the sound of glass hitting the concrete below the bleachers

[bisoneer]

I was at a late season game at DF against Montana St. (long time ago) the students and the band had a snow ball fight, lots of juice was snuck into the game, I believe we lost 17-13? Not even sure if it was a playoff game. As for the run in the 80s we listened to the games on the radio as many of them were on the road for whatever reason.

[CaBisonFan]

I remember two games distinctly.

One was against North Alabama...I think. Cold day. NA was very tough...very athletic. You could see the waves in the air...not sure what I was drinking though. I remember a goal line stand where we held...and it was a huge turning point. NA was...ah...miffed.

Another was against South Dakota. It was another cold day in the 80s. Chul Schwanke was their star running back. I had him as a student at Hutchinson, MN. He turned down a full ride at Nebraska to stay closer to home. He was a hell of a player. It was a hell of a game. SD felt like we stole one. Maybe so.

And as others have written, you could hear the bottles breaking on the concrete below the student section...but that wasn't just for playoff games. It was a long-standing tradition. And speaking of standing...the student body rarely sat down. They had the big bleachers facing the north...I think.

I remember the play-by-play of Ed Schultz...which I thought was great at the time...still do. Dana Mock (spelling?) on the sideline. He did a good job with that. And earlier than that...the voice of Boyd Christiansen from WDAY. A pretty laid-back style during the early days...when Mudra & Erhardt built the thing. Boyd loved the Bison. He was professional, he didn't talk down the other team, he was objective, he called the game without any sense of sarcasm or BS. (The media in Fargo could have learned a lot from Boyd...about how to support a program, without being a total homer. He backed the Bison with very upbeat play calling. He wasn't into looking for controversy. He called the game.)

Sometimes the place wasn't full because it was so damn cold...but the people that were there more than made up for it.

I remember the sound of mittens clapping instead of hands. The alumni were on the north side where the Bison stood. Every time the Bison defense did a 3 & out...which was pretty often...the old folks gave them an ovation. Those were real Bison backers. They weren't fair weather fans by any means.

Linemen got ovations back then. Big ones. The crowd was very knowledgable...and appreciative of great plays by all of the guys. The players responded to it...and the coaching was absolutely great. It was 'electric.' All very positive. Very little bickering about play calling, or any other BS. Everyone was totally into the game. If you weren't into the game...you weren't there.

Great tackle? Huge crowd response & recognition coming off the field.

Offensive line did a great job of blocking? Standing ovation

Teams didn't want to come to Fargo for the playoffs. We usually had them for lunch and spit them out.

I also remember 'several' absolute drubbings of UND. Those games were usually late in the season. From the early 60s to the early 90s, we owned them almost every year. Several were complete thrashings. Men against boys...but UND had some very good teams. We were just better most of the time. One game in the 80s we scored over 60 on them. Could have been 100, easily. We took it easy on them. :cool:

Other memories: Don Morton...Rocky Hagar...among others. Great coaches. Rocky truly loved the Bison. He got strung up by an idiot in the AD office.

[4mcruenomore]

I was at 'SU when Rocky got let go, he wasn't strung up. We honestly had recruited 'thugs' for a few years, and it all came to a boil. He needed to go, even though the guy is a legend and I will always love him as a coach. See, that's where I love the Belfield, Williston, Fargo, New Rockford guys now. I don't want us to become what we once were, and where some Montana teams ran into trouble also. I guess people want to ignore the Reggie Scott days.

[Leonardite]

I was at 'SU when Rocky got let go, he wasn't strung up. We honestly had recruited 'thugs' for a few years, and it all came to a boil. He needed to go, even though the guy is a legend and I will always love him as a coach. See, that's where I love the Belfield, Williston, Fargo, New Rockford guys now. I don't want us to become what we once were, and where some Montana teams ran into trouble also. I guess people want to ignore the Reggie Scott days.

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