— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall fans wanting to see the Thundering Herd’s first matchup against Notre Dame have begun purchasing tickets for the contest, which will be played Saturday, September 10 with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. at Notre Dame Stadium.
Marshall’s athletic department is limiting sales of Notre Dame tickets to active members of the Big Green Scholarship Foundation and the number of tickets one can buy is based on the level of giving. Those who donate $800 or more annually can buy as many as 12 tickets, while givers at the lowest level can buy up to two tickets.
Marshall’s Assistant Athletic Director for Ticketing Cole Woodrum believes a fair share of Herd fans will make the trip to South Bend, Indiana this fall.
“This is as excited as I have ever seen our fans for an away football game,” Woodrum said. “With the Big Green’s help, we have created a purchasing structure that rewards our largest financial supporters while also allowing all Herd fans the opportunity to get their tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime game.”
There is reason behind limiting ticket sales to program supporters.
“Having a required contribution on these tickets will help protect our ticket allotment from opposing fans, ticket brokers and others with no vested interest in Marshall football from purchasing for the intent of distributing them to non-Marshall fans,” Woodrum said.
Marshall Athletic Director Christian Spears believes Herd fans will get a chance to to experience one of the most storied venues in all of college football.
“A trip to South Bend is a bucket list opportunity,” Spears said. “A program rich in history and tradition can be inspiring for our fans and our football program. If you can join us and be a part of the Thundering Herd’s visit to a Notre Dame Stadium you need to make it happen. Let’s show them what it means to play Marshall.”
Tickets purchased through the Marshall ticket office will be $80 each in the MU fan sections 114, 115, 116, 117, 118 and 119.
For information on Marshall-Notre Dame tickets, you can call the Marshall Athletic ticket office at 1-800-The-Herd or the Big Green Scholarship Foundation at 304-696-4661.
NFL homes
Some former Marshall Football players have signed NFL deals after surviving minicamps.
Wide receiver Willie Johnson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, while offensive lineman Alex Mollette reached an agreement with the Indianapolis Colts and offensive lineman Will Ulmer signed with the Buffalo Bills.
Former Herd defensive back Nazeeh Johnson has signed a four-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs after being taken in the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft. The deal was reportedly worth $3.7 million with a $77,000 signing bonus.
Saying farewell
Marshall’s Athletic Department will soon say goodbye to one of its veteran staff members as Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Jason Corriher announced he is leaving the MU staff to become Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communications at Tulane.
Corriher has been at Marshall since 2011 and was the main media contact for Marshall football and women’s basketball. He also handled radio play-by-duties for women’s basketball broadcasts in recent years on Marshall’s campus radio station WMUL-FM.