This summer we will look at several different fan bases from the Gang of 5 Schools and explore what makes each of them unique. We continue the series with a look at the FIU Panther fan base. FIU is a young program in search of a story to tell. With a large student body to draw upon, the FIU leadership needs to find a compelling narrative in order to turn this group of students into fans of the FIU football program.
SI SE PUEDE( YES WE CAN)
On December 26th, 2010 thousands of FIU fans packed Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan to watch the Panthers play the Toledo Rockets in the Little Caesars Bowl. Perhaps more impressive than being in the Bowl game itself however, was that FIU was celebrating only its 8th year as a football program. The Panthers had just completed an impressive run in which they had gone from winning their first ever football game in 2002 to playing in a College Bowl game in front of a national television audience. The excitement among FIU fans was understandably euphoric and hard to contain. After all, not many college football programs could lay claim to such a fast and swift rise through the ranks of FBS football.
Sprinkled throughout the Panther fan base that night were signs that read SI SE PUEDE( Yes We Can). The signs were a copy of the slogan used by another unlikely success story , that of a young Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. Obama would of course go on to capture the Presidency in 2008. The symbolism of the signs was not lost on the FIU crowd that day. Many of those fans had come to Detroit to support the FIU football team and to celebrate what the Panther story had come to mean to them. A story that read like the great American success narrative. A story that reminded FIU fans and alumni that anything is possible if you work hard and dream big enough.
That FIU had entered the Little Caesars Bowl game as Sun Belt Champions made the day at Ford Field even more special. The Panthers improbable 8 year run from start up program to Bowl contender had given the FIU fan base a sense that they were both participating and witnessing history unfold in front of them.
When Panthers place kicker Jake Griffin kicked the game winning field goal as time expired , FIU fans, coaches and administrators might well have believed they were watching a feel good sports movie. The celebration after the kick was electric as players and fans celebrated on the field with all the joy and enthusiasm akin to winning the National Championship.
Yes this was only the Little Caesars Bowl, but surely the last second win over Toledo was a promising glimpse of the good things to come for FIU football. Few schools in the country could boast a Bowl victory this soon after starting a football program. With the talent rich Miami recruiting grounds in their back yard and a young charismatic Head Coach in Mario Cristobal , FIU looked like it was capable of winning big in college football.
FIU also appeared ready to be embraced by a fan base that was more than capable of turning out in big numbers to watch the Panthers play . A not so easy achievement in a busy and fickle sports town like Miami .
Unfortunately for FIU however, successful programs are prone to fall from grace fast and furious. The cold hard reality of this truth has plagued and battered the FIU program during its most recent history. FIU's relatively fast rise to football fame has been followed by an ongoing struggle for relevance and vision.
PARTING WAYS WITH MARIO CRISTOBAL
On December 5th ,2012 the following communique was sent by Pete Garcia (the FIU Executive in charge of Sports and Entertainment) to the Panther fan base and National sports media "Today we informed Coach (Mario) Cristobal that a change was being made in the direction of our football program". Mario Cristobal, the 42 year Cuban American Head Coach, had been fired by AD Pete Garcia as punishment for leading the Panthers to a 3-9 mark during the 2012 season.
The year before Mario Cristobal was fired he had been considered one of the hottest coach's in all of college football. In fact Cristobal had been contacted by several Power 5 schools interested in his services. Cristobal, a Miami native and former member of the 1989 and 1991 Miami Hurricane National Championship teams, had chosen to stay at FIU and continue to build the program in his own very capable image. A program that was attracting and keeping local Miami talent.
Perhaps most important to the program was that Mario Cristobal provided the FIU Panthers with a story line capable of galvanizing the complex and multilayered University. A storyline of a young Cuban American professional willing to stay home and turn FIU into a winner. This narrative was something the school administration desperately wanted for the University. The FIU leadership yearned for a successful football program that could serve as a rallying point for its students and alumni. A very important goal given the unique demographics of FIU.
A CLOSER LOOK
A closer look at the demographics of FIU reveals a school that is both traditional and non traditional in its teaching mission. FIU for example, is a large and complex school located within the Florida University system. With over 50,000 students, FIU is the 4th largest University in the country. Known for its excellent research facilities, it also houses both a respected medical and law school dedicated to serving the needs and people of the region.
FIU's student body is 70% Hispanic, comprising one of the largest groups of Hispanic students at any University in the United States. The school also has an unusually high number of Freshman who live off campus. In fact only 27% of Panther freshman call the FIU campus home. Additionally FIU is annually ranked as one of the top schools in the country for non traditional students.
These demographics point to an intriguing set of challenges and opportunities for FIU. With so many FIU students commuting instead of living on campus, and with a higher percentage of non traditional students than many other schools have ,FIU must learn to attract and keep this diverse population interested in FIU sports, especially its money maker, football.
WHAT STORY IS FIU GOING TO TELL
Sports fans of all stripes are quick to point out that winning cures all problems,especially attendance ones. While this is true to a certain extent , there is a more powerful and longer lasting strategy that schools with excellent fans bases share in common . A secret weapon if you will to entice people to become part of the school's mission and to become active participants of that mission. A weapon that is wrapped in a narrative rather than a gimmick. A narrative that keeps people in the stands even when hard times hit the program. A narrative that spells out what the team stands for in both good and bad times.
If FIU wants to tap into the 50,000 student population and increase attendance at games it must first decide what story it wants to tell.
With one of the lowest football attendance records in all of College Football last year, with a little over a 11,000 fans coming to FIU games( source NCAA) something seems amiss with the FIU fan experience.(winning more games would of course help with attendance numbers)
Football, more than most sports, is a game built around emotion and intensity. Until FIU can capture the emotional attention of its large student body, it seems likely that FIU's poor attendance figures will continue.
FIU has tremendous potential to be strong and competitive on the gridiron as well as in the stands. When Britton Banowsky(Conference USA Commish) invited FIU to Conference USA he no doubt understood the very high ceiling FIU had built into it. In fact, out of all of the new schools added to Conference USA in the last two years, FIU is the team with the most potential. Conference USA needs a strong FIU football team for a number obvious reasons. They also need FIU to have a strong fan base.
Finally
When FIU fired Mario Cristobal in 2012, they fired more than a head coach, they fired their most important and visible brand marker . Cristobal was an up and coming Cuban American who played well to the diverse and lively Miami and FIU population. If FIU wants to build the fan base they are capable of building they will need to win on the field and to articulate a story worth engaging its students with. They will need a narrative similar to the one Coach Cristobal brought to the football program. A narrative steeped in opportunity and possibility.
With such a large group of students attending FIU and with what is still a relatively young football program, finding a compelling story is a must for the University and football team. Building a fan base that is passionate and loyal takes time and effort. FIU is located in the midst of some of the best sports fans in the country. Finding a way to engage these fans and those who attend the University should be goal number one for the FIU sports leadership and athletic director.
The FIU football program and fan base have some of the best potential among all of the Gang of 5 Schools. Until, however, the FIU leadership and football team can create compelling reasons for the school's 50,000 student body and large alumni base to the support the team , FIU's story will be one of great potential vs what it is now, one of empty seats and lackluster fan engagement. Stay tuned.
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