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Spring practices are under way across the SEC and soon many fans will file into stadiums throughout the conference to watch spring games.
From 1986 to 2007, Tennessee held the spring game attendance record of 73,801. The Vols’ record held for 20 years until Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa. That year, in 2007, 92,138 made their way into Bryant-Denny Stadium.
It took until 2011, when 92,310 showed up, for Bama to raise the SEC spring record. That record held until 2016.
Outside of Tennessee’s 1986 spring game that was months after the Vols defeated Miami in the Sugar Bowl, Auburn was the only SEC school to rank in the top 10 in spring game attendance prior to the Saban-led Alabama years. In 2013, Auburn saw 83,401 in attendance as Tigers fans rolled Toomer’s Corner one final time before the poisoned trees came down following the spring game.
In 2016, Georgia raised the bar for SEC spring game attendance with 93,000 pouring into Sanford Stadium for Kirby Smart’s debut.
Mark it down, #DawgNation. Coach wants 93,000 at G-Day (April 16th) #RockTheHedges #CommitToTheG pic.twitter.com/ndBrNTl4Ut
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) January 24, 2016
What a day in Sanford Stadium!
@FootballUGA set the SEC spring game attendance record: https://t.co/3WbVFFuh4P pic.twitter.com/rEcYaPz7Y6
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 17, 2016
Georgia’s record-breaking spring game, along with Alabama having 76,212 in attendance last year, knocked Tennessee’s 1986 spring game from the top-10 SEC all-time attended spring games.
Now – with spring games in the near future – will any SEC team break Georgia’s record from a year ago? Realistically, only Texas A&M (102,733), Tennessee (102,455), LSU (102,321), and Alabama (101,821) have the capacity to break Georgia’s mark.
Top-10 SEC spring crowds
1. 2016 Georgia 93,000
2. 2011 Alabama 92,310
3. 2007 Alabama 92,138
4. 2010 Alabama 91,312
5. 2009 Alabama 84,050
6. 2013 Auburn 83,401
7. 2012 Alabama 78,526
8. 2013 Alabama 78,315
9. 2008 Alabama 78,200
10. 2016 Alabama 76,212
*11. 1986 Tennessee 73,801 (SEC record from 1986-2006)
2017 SEC spring game schedule (all times Eastern)
Alabama
Saturday, April 22, 3 p.m., ESPN
Arkansas
Saturday, April 29, 1 p.m., SEC Network
Auburn
Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m., SEC Network
Florida
Friday, April 7, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
Georgia
Saturday, April 22, 2 p.m., SEC Network
Kentucky
Friday, April 14, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
LSU
Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m., SEC Network
Ole Miss
Saturday, April 8, Noon, SEC Network
Mississippi State
Saturday, April 8, 4 p.m., SEC Network
Missouri
Saturday, April 15, 2 p.m. ET, SEC Network
South Carolina
Saturday, April 1, 2 p.m., SEC Network
Tennessee
Saturday, April 22, 4 p.m., SEC Network
Texas A&M
Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m., ESPNU
Vanderbilt
Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m (scrimmage, not televised)
Dan Harralson covers Tennessee football for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danharralson.
