Tennessee’s fans came out in droves for the Vols’ football team, men’s basketball team, and women’s basketball team over the fall and the spring.
According to Tennessee Athletics, U.T. “posted the highest overall attendance of any school in the nation in 2023-2024 across football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball.”
Across 38 home games from those three teams, Tennessee hosted a total of 1,161,218 spectators through the gates.
Tennessee was one of three teams – all in the SEC – to eclipse the 1,000,000 mark. Tennessee beat LSU by more than 96,000 despite six more home games from the Tigers while South Carolina also eclipsed one million spectators with 41 home events.
Football and men’s basketball alone took Tennessee past 1,000,000 fans in attendance with the Lady Vols’ number adding in to solidify Tennessee’s top spot over LSU.
All in all, Tennessee had a higher combined attendance than any other school in the nation despite having the least home games out of the teams in the top three.
“The unwavering support of our fans is what makes Knoxville ‘America’s College Sports City’ and gives us the best fan base in all of sports,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said in a press release on Wednesday. “We appreciate our fans’ passion and dedication, which powers our student-athletes to achieve their goals and turns every home game into a truly unforgettable experience.”
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Tennessee Football
In Joe Milton’s final season with Tennessee but his first as the 12-game starting quarterback, Tennessee went 6-1 in Neyland Stadium. The Vols beat Austin Peay by 17, UTSA by 31, South Carolina by 21, Texas A&M by 7, UConn by 56, and Vanderbilt by 24.
Tennessee totaled 713,405 fans for the Vols’ home football slate last year, perfectly resulting in a sold-out average of 101,915 fans in the stands.
Out of the 12 highest-attended SEC football games last season, seven took place in Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee finished third in the country in total attendance and fourth in the country in average attendance last season.
Tennessee Men’s Basketball
With the draw of future SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht and a strong senior class with Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James, Tennessee pulled in 314,617 fans across the Vols’ 16-game home slate this past season.
The Vols averaged 19,664 spectators per game last season with an arena-record eight sellouts throughout the season.
Tennessee went 14-2 in home games this season with wins over No. 20 Illinois, No. 22 Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and No. 11 Auburn.
Tennessee Women’s Basketball
With future fourth overall WNBA Draft pick Rickea Jackson playing in her final collegiate season, Tennessee drew 133,196 fans into the Food City Center across 15 home contests during the Lady Vols’ season.
Tennessee averaged 8,880 fans per contest, which ranked seventh nationally and third in the SEC, trailing only South Carolina and LSU.
The Lady Vols went 11-4 at home this season with wins over Memphis, Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.
It gets crowded in America's College Sports City.
Details » https://t.co/pKbOswxY6K pic.twitter.com/3NXJ5k5Yuh
— Tennessee Athletics (@Vol_Sports) April 17, 2024
