Pre-game rituals conducted by the football team have cost thousands of dollars, a portion of which come from student fees.
On the days before home football games, the Ohio University football team spends the night at the Holiday Inn, eats catered meals and goes to the movies and to church — costing OU donors and, in part, students about $10,750 per game.
This tradition is practiced by 66 of the players, one coach, one trainer and one graduate assistant, said Michael Ashcraft, interim director of athletic media relations.
Staying in hotels and eating pre-game meals together is something other MAC schools, like Eastern Michigan University, State University of New York at Buffalo and Ball State University, also do, according to those universities’ athletics departments.
“This has been around for at least as long as (Coach Frank) Solich has been here,” said Calvin Holloway, a junior safety on the team. “Staying in a hotel is a regular thing, but going to a movie may not be.”
With this season’s six home games, the pre-game ritual totals around $64,500 — about a third of which is from private donations, said Michael Stephens, senior associate athletics director for external operations.
Athletics receives $9.2 million from OU’s General Fee, which is paid for with student fees.
This pre-game ritual has been occurring for at least 10 years, according to former players, and may have been around for even longer.
“On weekday games the team can’t start any activities until after classes are over and our study hours are complete,” Holloway said.
Stephens said the football team also has “special team meetings,” positional meetings and a team meeting before the game.
Meals
The cost of pre-game grub comes to about $7,250, which is accounted for in the Football Operating Budget, Stephens said, partly funded by student dollars.
Those thousands of dollars pay for dinner, a pre-game meal, a snack and breakfast, Ashcraft said.
The total bill for this home seasons’ dining — about $43,500 — would equate to the cost of about two in-state students’ tuition for the year.
The other traditions
The OU football team stays at the Holiday Inn, 555 E. State St., before all home football games, Stephens said.
Ashcraft said athletics chose the hotel because of “good service, (a) good rate (and it’s) close to campus.”
Each home game, $3,500 in private funds is used to put up the football team in the Holiday Inn, Stephens said.
Athletics declined to say where these private funds come from.
In the past 10 years the OU football team has played at home 59 times.
The Holiday Inn did not return requests for comment.
The athletes stay in the hotel so that they are “in a quiet environment where they can get a good night of rest and focus on the game,” Stephens said. “It is also operationally important to have all players and coaches in one place for meetings.”
After team meals and meetings, the football team either watches the movie in the second-floor meeting room in Peden Stadium or at Movies 10 in Nelsonville, Holloway said.
Some of the team also attends church services together before the game, he said.
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