Thanks to the input and hard work of the football team itself, the reality of the “Blackout” has come true.
During Spring Semester, players lined up at social events such as Crimson Nights and created groups on social networks such as Facebook to get the word out.
They wanted a change.
The likes of Brian Johnson, Louie Sakoda and Stevenson Sylvester stood out, shook hands and asked the student body to help give the team a “Blackout” game.
“We were the ones that got it started at tryouts,” Sylvester said. “We got a lot (of signatures), but it didn’t really carry over, so we had to talk to the athletic director.”
As the billing of tonight’s game would suggest, athletic director Chris Hill gave the Utes the green light.
Ann Ronchetti, director of marketing for Utah Athletics, said she knew this would be something special.
Ronchetti is in charge of creating game themes for every game at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
She said although this marketing scheme started before the season, she had no clue exactly where this idea would go.
“We all knew that this was going to be an important game,” Ronchetti said. “This promotion fit perfectly for this game, a night game. A special fit.”
And tonight’s matchup could not have been scripted any better.
No. 10 Utah takes on No. 11 TCU in an already exciting game that the now “black” atmosphere will surely electrify, with Bowl Championship Series hopes on the line for both teams.
Ronchetti and her staff figured the best way to get the correct input would be to retrieve information from every possible angle.
“We got input from the players, fans and season ticket holders,” Ronchetti said. “The best way to do this promotion is to just get involved.”
Despite the best efforts of the marketing program, Ronchetti said that an event like this would stand no chance of happening without the aid of the students8212;especially the MUSS.
The Facebook group “Utah Blackout 2008” has 1,119 members and continues to grow every minute. The creator of the group and marketing co-chair for the MUSS, Mallory Hill, was one of the first to embrace the notion of the “Blackout.”
“We sold 1,300 specialized MUSS Blackout sweatshirts within a week,” Hill said.
The sweatshirts, first handed out Tuesday, are basic black with the regular MUSS logo and the word “BLACKOUT” written out in white letters underneath.
Members of the MUSS board are going the extra mile to promote this “Blackout” theme. Yesterday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., members of the board stood at the intersection of Wakara Way and Foothill Boulevard holding a large sign saying, “Wear Black Tomorrow!”
Ronchetti said thanks to the MUSS, since the “Blackout” is becoming a reality and a successful, exciting one at that.
“We worked very closely with the MUSS,” Ronchetti said. “We cannot make Utah football successful without the MUSS.”
The marketing department has made black rally towels that will be handed out to the first 35,000 fans to show up to Rice-Eccles Stadium.
As for whether the Ute players themselves will storm onto the field sheathed in black, Ronchetti said, “I think everyone needs to come to the game to see what they’re wearing.”