T.I.S.D. Stadium Renovations And Crowd Size
By cujoforlife
March 26, 2017 in High School Sports
cujoforlife
CUJO Number 1 fan
Is Tyler ISD going to finally renovate the press box or the bleachers for the grassy field in the Horshoe? In all the games that were played at Rose stadium. Only two games were somewhat packed. To be honest not even the hometown teams can pack the home side. I remember a time wher JT fans had to seat on the visitors side because there wasn't enough room on the home side. Having the biggest high school stadium in East Texas use to mean something. Now was can't get fans to fill up a stadium 20 minutes down the road.
VonG 28 posts
cujoforlife 20 posts
JTFAN99 17 posts
johntylerfan 8 posts
Mavchamp
I can't think of anything I'd rather do on a Fall Friday Night than go to my team's football game. JMHO.
VonG
If there were no new private schools like Grace ( I know Grace been around for 22 years) and etc and no charter schools like Cumberland . I can see Lee with close to 4000 students and JT with over 300
Isn't growth....still growth.... no matter which demographic it comes from? 2300 is still greater than 1900 no matter if the student is white, black, or hispanic. Growth is growth. All thi
HSBRangers
Are you wanting them to add seats in the horseshoe? You just said they can't even fill up what they have. I agree the press box could be redone, but I think getting the bond for the High Schools is the priority right now. Both schools need some serious work.
Both. The high schools are getting rebuilt. So, problem is out of the way. I do believe that tisd needs to do something to get their own fan back into the seats. Adding seats to the Horshoe could work.
How are the schools getting rebuilt when we haven't voted on the bond?
We have more schools in Tyler that play football. With saying that, if you went to Lee or JT and you have kids that go to private schools. Who are you going to go support on an Friday night?
johntylerfan
JT has STRONG fan following, but Lee fans don't give a rat's a$$ really except for when they play JT! Lee has to start winning games again for it to get better!
JT has STRONG fan following, but Lee fans don't give a rat's TobinFrost really except for when they play JT! Lee has to start winning games again for it to get better÷
It's not as strong as it should be.
I'm going to watch JT. That is the only team I do watch unless I have family on Lee team which I did last season.
Twitter:@marshallmavs
Probably going to get crucified for this... but here goes....
JT's crowds are NOTHING like the JT crowds of the 90s. In the mid 90s it was NOTHING for them to have 18K at a playoff game alone. That's not counting what the other team had there. Just JT's fans.
I've been a HSFB fan a long time and I'd never seen anything like it from a team from East Texas. They had absolutely insane crowds.
I've been to a couple of JT playoff games since..... no caomparison.
That's not a knock on JT. Just saying they no longer have a fraction of the following that they had during that dynasty they had in the 90s. It was a special and rare time for the Lions.
JT is good again..... but their fandom had shrank considerably from the size it was 20-25 years ago.
East Texas football is always better when JT, Lufkin, and Longview are all winning again.
And now that it looks like Marshall may have hit a home run on their possible new hire.... add us to the list. Harper built us into a winner again. Mathis could take us to the next level.
Best of luck to JT in 2017.
I agree 100%. It's nothing like it use to be. The dynamics of the Tyler football landscape has changed. Back then you only had JT, Lee, and TK Gorman. Now everybody is playing football. Which means you are being spread thin. We also have alot more to do in Tyler than what we had 20 years ago.
I can't think of anything I'd rather do on a Fall Friday Night than go to my team's football game.
JMHO.
cujo2016
There's some truth here because it's all about winning consistent with some legitimate playoff runs. I don't know if you made any of the games between 2010-2012, but those was some crowds. Nothing like the 90's.
JTFAN99
when JT won state in 94, it set the tone for the rest of the 90s and early 2000s. People went to JT games, because people really thought they were state title contenders. They were in a tough district (Marshall, Lee, Lufkin, Longview) and they played alot of tough teams that were must see games. Then Wilson left, and things fell apart. Then the drop to 4a/5a, and games against teams that were really not that competitive. Also, the all East Texas district is gone, and JT against the Mesquite and Rockwall schools just don't really have the same must-see vibe.
I think, the last 2 yrs of the Greg Ward/ Fred Ross/Bowser yrs, they got alot of support during those yrs, mainly because folks really believe they could win state. I think until that comes back, it won't be like the 90s. Kinda sad, because JT has been pretty good, but I guess JT needs to beat a big power like a Cedar Hill or something for people to believe they are state contenders.
1996 JT Vs. Marshall game was one of the most intense I had ever seen. And it proved to be for the district championship.
Can't remember exactly...but seems like I remember there being 18K or so at that game. Def had people in the grass.
Fun times back then.
a certain CB for JT was a transfer from Marshall. He got beat by David Aaron late in 4th qtr. Some JT fans teased about him giving the game away to his old team...lol. But seriously, Marshall in the 90s was so good. JT/Marshall was intense. I remember JT and Marshall in 93 I believe. I think that was the yr, Marshall fans beat up JT Lion guard...lol. The entire district was full of intense rivalries, just not the same
QB David Aaron was special...... talking about someone that has done well for himself.
Graduated from UT.... and is now living in NYC as an advertising executive for the BET network.
mav, not to challenge you on Marshall history, but I thought David Aaron was a WR.
You're right. Arron was a WR.... Scott Furrh was the QB that year.
There's truth to this. Things have changed a lot in Tyler since that time. The private school sector, Chapel hill, and Whitehouse have changed the area's landscape alot! There is a reason why Lee is having problems besides just instability.
This is all TRUE! The Ratliff era was GOD AWFUL by every stretch of the imagination! Set JT back years! JT has been SOLID for the last decade. In fact I think Jt has been the best team in ET most of the decade as well! I think they still have a good mix of kids too. If JT beats one of the 6a powers and make run for state, JT will get their just due.
I didn't count Chapel Hill or Whitehouse because they never hurt Lee or JT football crowds or participation numbers back in the 90's. Once all the private schools started playing football in 2005 that's when you seen a change in the landscape of Tyler football.
I don't really think the private schools hurt JT that much. They hurt Lee the most. Lets be honest, most of the kids at those privates wouldn't be at JT anyway, maybe except for a handful.
I think the privates are hurting Lee the most. JT is hurt by the fact that South Tyler is growing the most, and not North Tyler. Alot of people who probably grew up in N.Tyler, are moving to South Tyler as adults and their kids are enrolling at Lee. So instead of coming to JT games, their kids are at Lee, or possibly Whitehouse and Lindale. And the Kids who would be at Lee are at the Privates and Charters.
So really, Lee is taking JT, and the privates are taking from Lee...lol
That's how I always had it. Lee takes JT. The privates take Lee. The never ending domino effect.
I don't live in Tyler....so I don't know.
But I did work at the ER at ETMC for 3 years....and one thing I noticed....
North Tyler had a much older population than south Tyler did.
Maybe all those die hard fans from the 90's are just too old to attend games.....particularly long road games like they did 20 years ago.
Another thought.....
In the mid 90's JT was a predominantly black school.... I think demographics have changed and the hispanic population has grown considerably. Trends show that changes a fan base too. Ask Mount Pleasant.
Not saying these are THE reasons....but they crossed my mind as an outsider looking in.
Truth in this statement, but as far as the better athletes, JT is getting the better end of the stick. Lee has more black students than JT but they are the lesser talented ones. This is bearing out on the football field mostly. BTW it won't get better for Lee for atleast 4 more years.
I say you make good points. But although Blacks are no longer the majority, The black population at JT in the 90s was around 1000 students, with Hispanics around 500 and whites around 300. Now the black population is hanging around 800, but whites are less than 100 and Hispanics around 1300. So although blacks aren't the majority, there is still a high enough black population to have a good crowd.
but back in the 90s most of blacks in high school in Tyler were at JT, so most of the blacks in Tyler went to JT game. And JT fan base in the 90s was mostly black. Now Lee has about the same number of blacks as JT so its split in Tyler now. The lack of growth in N.Tyler is hurting JT.