Number of ejected
fans miss ASU victory
By Melanie Davis
melanie@highcountrymedia.net

The fans of the Mountaineers showed their school spirit and once again filled Kidd Brewer Stadium to capacity for Friday’s semi-final game against University of Richmond.

There were a number of fans, however, who did not have the opportunity to enjoy the 55-35 win in the presence of other Appalachian State enthusiasts. Although only 10 were ejected, campus police said this was a record number of students and community members who were booted from the stadium for drunk and disorderly conduct. A number of fans were also turned away at the gate due to an excessive level of intoxication.

“In my years of experience, night games tend to have more alcohol-related offenses,” ASU police chief Gunther Doerr said.

He believes that fact to be the result of fans who drink throughout the entire day leading up to the game — an all-day tailgate party.

“The number of arrests and citations prior to the game stayed at the average for this size crowd, which I believe was approximately 23,000,” he continued.

There were two arrests and seven citations issued, all of which were alcohol related.

A majority of the citations are issued for underage possession and consumption of alcohol.

Of those turned away at the game — an exact number is not available — most were at least 21 years of age and no other offense had taken place. Those individuals were not arrested.

According to Doerr, a handful were placed in custody on a 24-hour hold simply for their own safety.

“If they did not have a responsible individual to accompany them home, or were just too intoxicated, we secured them for 24 hours to prevent injury to themselves,” Doerr said.

There were some comments of vandalism made on a Mountaineer fan Web site by University of Richmond fans. No reports, however, were made to the ASU police department.

One UR fan commented that their vehicle had been scratched with a key and dented while in a campus parking lot. That incident was not documented with police.

The post-game celebration followed along with averages for number of arrests and citations. The majority of fans had designated drivers or walk from their Boone homes. The usual celebration of marching through campus with a goal post took place but ASU officers were present to ensure the situation did not get out of control.