By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Only once since Old Dominion moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision have the Monarchs been to a bowl game. And that bowl was in a foreign country that's difficult to get to and can be an expensive place to stay.
In other words, traveling with the Monarchs wasn't an option for all but a handful of fans when ODU defeated Eastern Michigan in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl.
But the opposite is true this season. ODU received a bid to the Myrtle Beach Bowl Sunday afternoon and will take on the University of Tulsa on Monday, Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m.
ODU officials worked hard behind the scenes to get the Monarchs into this game because there is no more convenient and accessible bowl destination for ODU fans, nor one that offers more entertainment options, than Myrtle Beach.
Myrtle Beach is 5 hours from Norfolk and offers a ton of things to do.
If you're going, and if you are truly an ODU football fan I strongly urge you to make the trip, your best bet is to purchase tickets through Ynottix and then enter the promo code ODU21 That ensures that not only will you sit with ODU fans, but that the University will receive credit for selling your ticket.
ODU athletics receives a portion of the revenue for each ticket sold to the bowl game through that promo code. And if you're a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, you will receive priority points.
For information on travel packages, events in Myrtle Beach and the latest ODU football news, CLICK HERE.
So why go to Myrtle Beach during the middle of December?
First, there is the incredible bunch of young men who fought so hard and with so much intestinal fortitude to represent your university well.
ODU was 1-11 in 2019, did not play in 2020 and lost six of its first seven games this season with one of the youngest, most inexperienced teams in the country.
Somehow, the Monarchs held it together and won their last five games.
Honestly, who, after the Monarchs dropped a 43-20 home loss to Western Kentucky on Oct. 16 ,truly believed this team would go to a bowl game? Clearly, the Monarchs were good enough, witness close early-season losses to Marshall, Buffalo and UTEP.
But they were 1-6 and only a handful of teams have ever won their last five in a row. The Monarchs did so with poise and toughness. Rare is the team that plays with more intensity or heart then ODU.
Here is a really cool stat that my compatriot, Associate Athletics Director Eric Bohannon, dug up from the NCAA archives. Since 1936, only three teams have started 1-6 or worse and won five games in a row – ODU, North Texas and Miami of Ohio in 2016.
Rahne sold his players on his "1-0" mentality, meaning take one hour, one day, one week at a time. That's the only way the Monarchs were able to win their last five in a row – one game at a time.
Rahne choked up after the final victory, a 56-34 triumph over Charlotte, saying it will be his 11th consecutive bowl trip. He added that he can't think of one that would be more special than going bowling with these players.
For sixth-year seniors, Joe Joe Headen, Isaac Weaver and Jordan Young, this is a dream come true. They all went to the Bahamas as true freshmen but have never played in a bowl.
They endured a changeover in the coaching staff, a 2020 season lost to COVID and 32 losses in 42 games before the Monarchs won their last five this season.
ODU's brightest star in the NFL, Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke, has been watching the Monarchs from afar and said they are one of the most heartwarming stories of the 2021 college football season.
"To win five in a row with your back against the wall, that was really impressive," he said. "They're hot.
"ODU has gone through some hard times. They missed that season because of COVID. What they have done this year, in their first year back, is really remarkable."
He said this team deserves the support of its fan base. I couldn't agree more.
Secondly, ODU's football reputation is on the line. Does ODU have a fan following that will support the team in bowl games? This game will provide the proof.
ODU needs to sell thousands of tickets to convince future bowl committees that not only is Rahne building an outstanding program on the field, but that the University has an engaged fan base.
Five years ago, ODU sold nearly 2,000 tickets to the Bahamas Bowl. Granted, there were far less than 2,000 ODU fans there. Many tickets were purchased by ODU fans to be given away to local fans in Nassau.
But at the time, it was the largest number of tickets ever sold by a school playing in the Bahamas Bowl. That, and the outstanding TV ratings for the game, helped sell ESPN officials on sending ODU to Myrtle Beach.
Just as 2016 helped the Monarchs five years later, how sales go for this bowl game may determine future bowl destinations for ODU.
If you absolutely can't make it, consider purchasing some tickets to send students to the game. They cost just $30 apiece and the University is paying to bus students there and back. ODU's goal is to bus 1,000 students to Myrtle Beach, and, as Athletic Director Wood Selig said, "give those kids the memory of a lifetime."
Give some kids a nice Christmas present. Tickets for students can also be purchased on ynottix.com
Third, Myrtle Beach is just a cool place to be in December.
It's a massive resort area with 10,000 hotel rooms in 425 hotels that range from upscale resorts to quaint mom and pop operations. It is also one of the nation's premiere golf destinations, with more than 90 courses, many with spectacular water views.
If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping, there is the Tangier Outlet Mall with more than 100 stores. Broadway at the Beach is an outdoor mall with tons of shopping and restaurants and clubs, including the Hard Rock Café, while Barefoot Landing, a development on the inland waterway, has shopping, restaurants and the Alabama Theater, a 2,000-seat venue that produces an acclaimed Christmas Show throughout December.
The Market Common is a shopping destination with a plethora of great restaurants and shops and entertainment options.
Myrtle Beach hosts 15 million tourists a year, so I can't list everything available there. But there are comedy clubs, music venues of all kinds, indoor water parks, museums and an aquarium.
The boardwalk is covered with Christmas lights and it's the off-season, meaning hotel rates are low. You'll rarely have a chance to sample the aqua-blue water of a South Carolina beach at such an affordable price.
No, you likely won't go swimming, but with the average high temperatures in December in the mid 60s, a walk or run on the beach will be a pleasant experience.
Finally, there is the game itself. This is a big game for ODU.
Tulsa is from the American Athletic Conference, a league that, for now, is a step above Conference USA. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN and it's the only game of the day.
It's a chance for ODU to perform on a big stage and claim its first winning record since 2016.
Tulsa finished 6-6, but the Golden Hurricane will be a difficult challenge. Tulsa had an opening-season loss to UC Davis, an FCS program. Tulsa out-gained UC Davis, but had three turnovers, something you can't do against a good FCS opponent.
Ohherwise, Tulsa played the toughest non-conference schedule in the Group of 5.
Tulsa lost to Cincinnati and Oklahoma State, No. 4 and No. 9, respectively, in the final College Football Playoff standings, in one-score games. Another non-conference loss came at Ohio State, which finished sixth in the final CFP rankings.
Tulsa also defeated SMU and Memphis and won its final three games to become bowl eligible.
Tulsa is a very good, very tested football team.
ODU will be an underdog, not that that's anything new. The Monarchs were underdogs all season.
Just keep on overlooking us was their mantra. And people did overlook ODU until the final weeks of the season.
Now, people are paying attention and they like what they see.
This is truly a big game. If you're an ODU fan, it's one you should look forward to seeing, live and in person.
Minium was a reporter at The Virginian-Pilot for 39 years before coming to ODU. He covers ODU's athletic teams for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Myrtle Beach Bowl is a Big Test for ODU Football, For Both the Team and Fan Base
