Duke is preparing for a big weekend.
If the Blue Devils stem the top-ranked Crimson Tide tomorrow, it might just be the biggest upset in college football history. Whatever happens on the field, though, the University is preparing for a rush of Duke and Alabama fans alike.
The University has retrofitted the sold-out Wallace Wade Stadium with about 4,000 bleacher seats across the upper concourse and north and south end zones, said Boo Corrigan, senior associate director of athletics for external affairs.
In order to accommodate the Tide’s flow into Durham, Duke has set up a lot off 15-501 where Alabama fans can park their recreational vehicles. Corrigan anticipates that approximately 100 RVs will be in the lot Saturday.
“There certainly will be a strong Alabama presence,” he said.
Although traffic might be congested, the University will encourage fans to utilize all of its 13,000 parking spots, including those in lots near the Duke University Medical Center.
As the Tide fans roll in, the Duke University Police Department will continue to make special preparations for Saturday’s game and the student pre-game Tailgate festivities.
“We’ve been planning for some time,” DUPD Chief John Dailey said. “We have more staff and we’re bringing in the staff earlier. We’ll have well over 50 police officers on campus throughout Saturday.”
Dailey also made clear that any tailgating activities in the off-campus Alabama lot would fall under the purview of the Durham Police Department. Although this might mean added work for DPD, Corrigan said the city itself stands to make $6 million Saturday, largely through increased hotel and restaurant business.
“This is going to be a happening in Durham, a gathering of people that are excited about something,” Corrigan said. “This is a significant step for Durham.”
Although he noted that fewer than 600 tickets were sold in Alabama on a season ticket basis, Corrigan still believes there will be a lot of Alabama fans at Wallace Wade Saturday.
“We gave Alabama a supersized version of what we would give our conference opponents,” he said regarding the amount of tickets given to the away team.
Still, Athletics hopes the home team will be heavily represented in the stands. Indeed, the student section was expanded by moving the marching band onto the concourse.
Concession stands were instructed to stock twice the amount of goods they would carry for a normal game, Corrigan added.
Supersized or not, tomorrow’s Tailgate will be supervised like any other.
“We’ll have all the appropriate health and support personnel... working very closely with student leaders,” said Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs. “It’s a collaborative effort and I feel pretty confident about the experience we’ll see this weekend.”
Although Alabama is the overwhelming favorite to win, Duke students are looking forward to playing the top-ranked college football team in the country.
“Mark my words,” sophomore Kevin Fertig said. “We’ll come to play.”
Matthew Chase contributed reporting.
Listen to the pre-game podcast with Sports Editor Andy Moore and Sports Features Editor Laura Keely:
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.