COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - For the 16th time in the last 17 seasons and 21st time overall, Saint John's University led NCAA Division III in on-campus football attendance in 2017.
SJU averaged 6,092 fans per game over the course of the season, with a six-game total of 36,553 fans. Collegeville was the premier location for Division III, beating out second-place Emory & Henry (Va.) by an average of 1,306 spectators per on-campus game. The closest MIAC team to SJU was Concordia-Moorhead, which finished fourth nationally with an average of 4,429 fans per on-campus game.
The "official" attendance of 53,082 for St. Thomas included the Sept. 23 game played at the Minnesota Twins' Target Field, which attracted 37,355 spectators. UST totaled 15,677 fans, an average of 2,612 per contest, in six on-campus games this fall.
SJU's cumulative total of 36,553 fans was greater than 64 Football Championship Subdivision teams and 157 of the 169 Division II programs.
The Johnnies ended the 2017 season ranked No. 14 nationally and made their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs, finishing with a 9-2 record (7-1 MIAC).
Other National Leaders
FBS: Michigan (111,589 per game)
FCS: Montana (23,535 per game)
Division II: Tuskegee (14,998 per game)
2017 NCAA Division III Football Attendance Leaders
| No. |
School |
Gms. |
Total |
Avg. |
| 1. |
Saint John's |
6 |
36,553 |
6,092 |
| 2. |
Emory & Henry (Va.) |
5 |
23,930 |
4,786 |
| 3. |
Geneva (Pa.) |
5 |
22,335 |
4,467 |
| 4. |
Concordia-Moorhead |
5 |
22,144 |
4,429 |
| 5. |
UW-Whitewater |
4 |
17,600 |
4,400 |
| 6. |
Ithaca (N.Y.) |
5 |
20,938 |
4,188 |
| 7. |
McDaniel (Md.) |
5 |
20,824 |
4,165 |
| 8. |
Dubuque (Iowa) |
5 |
19,421 |
3,884 |
| 9. |
Christopher Newport (Va.) |
5 |
19,106 |
3,821 |
| 10. |
Tufts (Mass.) |
5 |
18,439 |
3,688 |
2017 SJU vs. FCS/Division II Schools in Upper Midwest
| No. |
School |
NCAA |
Gms. |
Total |
Avg. |
| 1. |
North Dakota State |
FCS |
9 |
164,996 |
18,333 |
| 2. |
South Dakota State |
FCS |
8 |
95,951 |
11,994 |
| 3. |
North Dakota |
FCS |
5 |
52,139 |
10,428 |
| 4. |
Northern Iowa |
FCS |
6 |
58,175 |
9,696 |
| 5. |
South Dakota |
FCS |
5 |
46,736 |
9,347 |
| 6. |
Saint John's |
III |
6 |
36,553 |
6,092 |
| 7. |
Northern State (S.D.) |
II |
6 |
23,682 |
3,947 |
| 8. |
Minnesota-Duluth |
II |
5 |
18,334 |
3,667 |
| 9. |
Augustana (S.D.) |
II |
6 |
21,596 |
3,599 |
| 10. |
MSU-Mankato |
II |
8 |
27,061 |
3,383 |
2017 MIAC Football Attendance Leaders
| No. |
School |
Gms. |
Total |
Avg. |
| 1. |
Saint John's |
6 |
36,553 |
6,092 |
| 2. |
Concordia-Moorhead |
5 |
22,144 |
4,429 |
| 3. |
St. Thomas |
6 |
15,677* |
2,612* |
| 4. |
Bethel |
5 |
11,213 |
2,243 |
| 5. |
Hamline |
4 |
5,899 |
1,475 |
| 6. |
St. Olaf |
5 |
6,370 |
1,274 |
| 7. |
Gustavus Adolphus |
5 |
5,858 |
1,172 |
| 8. |
Augsburg |
6 |
4,652 |
775 |
| 9. |
Carleton |
5 |
2,358 |
472 |
*does not include the off-site game on Sept. 23 at Target Field
