Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Bowl donation tickets help everyone
12/9/2021 11:59:00 PM | Cheerleading, Football, Big Green Scholarship Foundation, Word on the Herd, Ticketing & Promotions, Buck Harless Student Athlete Program
Marshall is set to face Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 18
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – This is both a season of giving and bowl season. The holiday season is upon us, and the Marshall football team is headed to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to face nationally ranked Louisiana on Saturday, Dec. 18.
The bowl is a huge opportunity for the Thundering Herd, which gets a night-time kickoff on ESPN against a conference championship-caliber team that is ranked in the Top 25 of the College Football Playoff poll, Associated Press Top 25 poll and the USA Today/Coaches poll. The combination of location, opponent, the Sun Belt Conference tie-in and chance to face a nationally ranked team make the New Orleans Bowl a hot ticket. That's good news for the Herd, for sure. The more tickets Marshall Athletics can sell – and it is recommended those reading this buy through the MU Ticket Office – the better. Flights and hotel rooms for student-athletes, the marching band, cheer, coaches and staff can carry a hefty price tag.
If you're not going to the game and want to help, here's how: a proxy ticket, which we're calling a donation ticket, can be purchased. The money goes to Marshall Athletics, and then we'll take the ticket and find a person in need who can attend the game and experience the magic of bowl season during the holidays.
In short: everybody wins.
The Marshall Ticket Office shared information on bowl donation tickets this week. "If you can't make it to the game, you can still do your part!" the message read. "Bowl donation tickets are the number 1 way to support Marshall Athletics this time of year."
Interim Director of Athletics, Jeff O'Malley, also encouraged fans to purchase donation tickets, adding that it would help the Herd.
Bowl donation tickets are available through the Marshall Ticket Office. Purchasing directly through the Marshall Ticket Office benefits the athletic department financially. Tickets can be purchased by visiting HerdZone or by calling 800-THE-HERD. The official athletic website states that "donation tickets that are purchased directly through Marshall Athletics will be donated to Marshall University students attending the game and to local New Orleans charities."
"Donation tickets will also financially assist Marshall Athletics and help cover various bowl expenses."
Additionally, purchasing donation tickets will entitle Herd fans to a priority point bonus based on the number of tickets purchased:
2 tickets – 5 priority points
4 tickets – 12 priority points
10 tickets – 35 priority points
20 tickets – 75 priority points
50 tickets – 200 priority points
The cost of each ticket is $40.
Marshall head coach Charles Huff said the bowl assignment includes "a phenomenal opponent down in a phenomenal city with a phenomenal bowl experience not only for our players but our fans."
After Sunday's announcement, O'Malley said: "We are thrilled to be playing in New Orleans, especially given our impending move to the Sun Belt Conference. The Thundering Herd has a tradition of traveling extremely well to our bowl appearances and I know that our fans are eager to do that once again."
Marshall fans also have a history of stepping up in their support, whether they can attend the game or not. What better way than gifting a ticket to someone in need?
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a nine-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).