By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – While Old Dominion did not sell out a football game this season, the fans who came were loyal and loud and their cheers were heard and appreciated.
"I don't think the fans realize how much they mean to us, how much they helped us," said Blake Watson, the ODU running back who rushed for 1,035 yards in just 10 games.
"When games were close, they were always there pulling for us, making noise. They don't know how much it meant to us to know they were behind us."
So far, nearly 3,000 tickets have been sold by ODU for the University's final game of the season in the Myrtle Beach Bowl against the University of Tulsa next Monday, Dec. 20, at 2:30 p.m.
Given that Myrtle Beach is a 5-hour drive from Norfolk, officials would be happier if closer to 5,000 ODU fans were in Brooks Stadium on the campus of Coastal Carolina University.
So would ODU coach Ricky Rahne, who when prodded by Ted Alexander, voice of the Monarchs, Monday night during his weekly coaches' show, made a plea for more fans to go.
"I would love to see as many of our fans in that stadium as possible," he said.
He said for seniors who remained at ODU through the pandemic and a transition to a new coaching staff deserve as large a turnout as possible.
ODU was 1-11 in 2019 and because of the pandemic, did not play in 2020, Rahne's first year as head coach. Then, after a 1-6 start this season, they were the leaders who helped ODU rally to win five in a row and land its first bowl bid since 2016.
Center Isaac Weaver, defensive back Joe Joe Headen, placekicker Nick Rice and linebacker Jordan Young all chose to stay. Rahne said they and their other teammates who persevered deserve support in Myrtle Beach.
"Those guys get to be Monarchs one last time," Rahne said. "I know they'd love to see everyone there. And they deserve everyone's support given what they've gone through and the sacrifices they've made.
"They chose to be Monarchs when a lot of people left. And a lot of people did leave under similar circumstances. These guys stayed through it because they wanted to accomplish something like this. I'd love to see everyone there supporting them.
"It's not a hard drive. It's before Christmas. This is an awesome opportunity to show the nation what Monarch Nation is all about.
"This is how you continue to get in bowl games, even better bowl games in the future, by going out there and selling as many tickets as you can and getting as many people down there as well."
ODU captains Jordan Young, Nick Rice, Isaac Weaver and coach RIcky Rahne at a student rally
Ticket sales are still trickling in and ODU recently added a way to get to and from the game quickly for those on a budget.
Venture Tours of Virginia Beach will have buses leaving Monday morning from ODU and returning after the game.
The price is $99. Game tickets are not included but for $30, you can find good seats on the ODU sideline. Use the code ODU21 to make sure you're sitting with ODU fans.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE BOWL TICKETS
You can bring food and drink onto the bus and can also purchase, for $15 a person, tickets to the ODU Alumni Association Tailgate Party, which includes a buffet and two drink tickets.
CLICK HERE for more information on bus tours and CLICK HERE for information on the alumni association tailgate. More than 600 alumni have already registered for the event.
If you're planning to drive, you have two options for hotels.
First, you can stay with the football team and ODU fans at the Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes. It's a unique experience to stay with the team. Who knows who you might bump into in the lobby?
There will be a bowl welcome party at the Marriott on Saturday night between 5 and 7 that is open to the public. To RSVP for the welcome party, CLICK HERE
To reserve rooms at the Marriott, CLICK HERE.
A watch party will be held at Banditos, a Mexican restaurant on the oceanfront, on Sunday at 3:30 to allow ODU fans to view the men's basketball game at Richmond on TV. It is being sponsored by the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation.
To register, CLICK HERE
If you plan to drive and want to save some coin, there are 10,000 hotel rooms in Myrtle Beach and this is the offseason. I checked out hotels on Expedia and found some very nice resorts renting rooms for as little as $50 per night.
Most are between $65 and $150. Make sure and read the fine print, including resort fees and taxes. Yet given the rise in hotel prices in recent months, this is more than a bargain.
If you can't go, consider purchasing tickets, at $30 apiece, that will be used by students. ODU is providing transportation for students, and if you can't go, you will be represented by the students who you will be enabling to have the experience of a lifetime.
I traveled to Evansville, Indiana as a student to watch the ODU men's basketball team win the 1975 Division II national title, and it's one of my most treasured memories.
CLICK HERE to give ODU students that same kind of memory.
The bowl game will be televised on ESPN, the first time the Monarchs will have been on the nation's most popular sports network since 2016, when the Monarchs defeated Eastern Michigan in the Bahamas Bowl.
ODU played on ESPN2 two years ago against the University of Virginia, but as a member of Conference USA, has limited exposure on ESPN. That will change when ODU joins the Sun Belt Conference, a league directly affiliated with ESPN.
Athletic Director Wood Selig calls the bowl game "a 3 1/2-hour infomercial for Old Dominion's football program and the University."
It is the only bowl game of the day, meaning ODU and Tulsa will both be trending in the social media world.
There will be highlights of the University, stories on ODU players and coaches and tidbits about ODU's academics. And bowl games of this type are generally seen by several million people.
The game itself will be intriguing. Both ODU and Tulsa are 6-6, but the Golden Hurricane are nearly 10-point favorites. They hail from the American Athletic Conference, which, for now, is the nation's best Group of 5 football league.
Tulsa defeated SMU and Memphis and had narrow losses at Oklahoma State and Cincinnati and kept it close for most of the game in a 41-20 loss at Ohio State.
"Tulsa is a very good opponent from a good conference," Rahne said. "It's a great opportunity for our players."
As well as ODU fans. And among those fans will be a ton of friends and family members of the Rahne clan.
"We bought 20 tickets the other day," Rahne said. "And we'll buy some more.
"We've got a lot of people who want to come just to show us their support.
"That's an awesome deal to think about, having people taking that much time out of their lives to support you."
Awesome indeed.
Minium was a reporter at The Virginian-Pilot for 39 years before becoming a senior executive writer for ODU. He covers all ODU athletic teams for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: ODU Football Coach Ricky Rahne Urges Fans to Make the Trip to Myrtle Beach Bowl
