Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Eclipses One Million Fan Mark
5/8/2015 1:40:00 PM | General
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- When IU representatives told Curt Winders that he was the millionth fan to attend an Indiana game, he thought he was on the losing end of some sort of trick.
"I thought somebody was punking me," the Bloomington native said. "I thought it was some sort of joke."
But what was happening was no joke.
Winders was the 548th fan to enter Bart Kaufman Field on Friday to watch Indiana baseball play Long Beach State. That made him the one millionth fan to attend an IU Athletics event in the 2014-15 season, making him the winner of IU's One Million Fan Challenge.
As a result, Winders won season tickets for a year to football, men's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, men's basketball, baseball and VIP experiences with the football and men's basketball programs.
All in all, Winders cleaned up pretty well for a guy who admitted he had no idea there was a chance for him to be the millionth fan in attendance.
The only reason Winders even took three of his children to the baseball game was because a friend offered him free tickets and he had no other plans.
"We were just looking for something to do tonight," Winders said, still in disbelief. "It's actually really cool. Very cool. Unbelievable. It hasn't really set in."
Winders' prize package was the climax of IU's year-long promotion aimed to reward loyal fans for attending games in Bloomington.
Along the way, fans at different milestones won prizes like a replica Old Oaken Bucket, Indiana apparel and the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at an Indiana baseball game, among other things.
As the total fan count grew, the prizes got better. The challenge climaxed with Winders taking home the top prize from Bart Kaufman Field on Friday night.
Winders was already a season ticket holder for football and shared men's basketball season tickets with another family, but he said his latest package trumps his old tickets.
His son, Caleb, said he was looking forward to men's basketball. His daughter, Hannah, said she couldn't wait for IU to play Ohio State.
Winders himself said he was excited for a bit of everything in what he said should be a good year for Indiana athletics across the board.
"Oh my gosh, it should be good," he said. "The football program is up. The basketball program--there's a lot of hype around that right now. Really looking forward to watching them."
Winders will have his opportunities to watch all season long.
Because when his Hoosiers are in town, he'll have tickets. All thanks to the 999,999 other fans who paved the way for him to be the millionth.
"It's just unbelievable," Winders said. "I can't believe I won. I really can't. I can't wait."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- When IU representatives told Curt Winders that he was the millionth fan to attend an Indiana game, he thought he was on the losing end of some sort of trick.
"I thought somebody was punking me," the Bloomington native said. "I thought it was some sort of joke."
But what was happening was no joke.
Winders was the 548th fan to enter Bart Kaufman Field on Friday to watch Indiana baseball play Long Beach State. That made him the one millionth fan to attend an IU Athletics event in the 2014-15 season, making him the winner of IU's One Million Fan Challenge.
As a result, Winders won season tickets for a year to football, men's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, men's basketball, baseball and VIP experiences with the football and men's basketball programs.
All in all, Winders cleaned up pretty well for a guy who admitted he had no idea there was a chance for him to be the millionth fan in attendance.
The only reason Winders even took three of his children to the baseball game was because a friend offered him free tickets and he had no other plans.
"We were just looking for something to do tonight," Winders said, still in disbelief. "It's actually really cool. Very cool. Unbelievable. It hasn't really set in."
Winders' prize package was the climax of IU's year-long promotion aimed to reward loyal fans for attending games in Bloomington.
Along the way, fans at different milestones won prizes like a replica Old Oaken Bucket, Indiana apparel and the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at an Indiana baseball game, among other things.
As the total fan count grew, the prizes got better. The challenge climaxed with Winders taking home the top prize from Bart Kaufman Field on Friday night.
Winders was already a season ticket holder for football and shared men's basketball season tickets with another family, but he said his latest package trumps his old tickets.
His son, Caleb, said he was looking forward to men's basketball. His daughter, Hannah, said she couldn't wait for IU to play Ohio State.
Winders himself said he was excited for a bit of everything in what he said should be a good year for Indiana athletics across the board.
"Oh my gosh, it should be good," he said. "The football program is up. The basketball program--there's a lot of hype around that right now. Really looking forward to watching them."
Winders will have his opportunities to watch all season long.
Because when his Hoosiers are in town, he'll have tickets. All thanks to the 999,999 other fans who paved the way for him to be the millionth.
"It's just unbelievable," Winders said. "I can't believe I won. I really can't. I can't wait."
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