Aug. 31, 2004

Charleston, SC - Johnson Hagood Stadium sustained no significant damage during the weekend's battering from Tropical Storm Gaston -- even the temporary bleachers and press box at The Citadel's aging football stadium stood up to the wind and rain.

But that doesn't mean Saturday's season opener between The Citadel and Charleston Southern will necessarily go on as planned.

With Hurricane Frances bearing down on the east coast and her destination unknown, Citadel officials met Monday afternoon to discuss the options for Saturday's 7 p.m. game. Among them: moving the game up, postponing it to a later date or going on as scheduled.

A decision is expected today.

"They are meeting to assess the situation," said senior associate athletic director Ray Whiteman. "And then they'll make some decision, probably (today)."

If the schools decide to move the game up, a Thursday night game is possible. The Citadel and Charleston Southern played on a Thursday night in 2002 in the teams' first meeting, with the Bulldogs taking a 53-19 victory. The unfinished work on the temporary press box could complicate a Thursday night game. If the schools decide to postpone the game, there is no mutual open date on their schedules until Nov. 27.

If Hurricane Frances permits the game to be played on Saturday as scheduled, Citadel officials are confident that Johnson Hagood Stadium will be ready. The west side (or "home" side) of the stadium has been torn down and replaced by temporary bleachers. Workers were putting together the interior of the temporary press box Monday afternoon.

"It put them about a day behind working on the press box," Whiteman said. "But we don't expect any delays at all, other than maybe Hurricane Frances."

With the temporary bleachers up, Johnson Hagood will hold about 12,500 spectators, down from its full capacity of about 21,000. The Corps of Cadets will sit in the temporary bleachers on the west side, while all other ticket holders will sit on the newly repainted east side. There will be no general admission tickets sold this season; all tickets will be reserved seats at $20 each.

Hurricanes have played havoc with Citadel football before. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo forced the Bulldogs' home game with Western Carolina to Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. In 1999, a game at Western Carolina was postponed to the end of the season due to Hurricane Floyd. And in 2001, the events of 9/11 forced another Citadel-Western Carolina game to be postponed until season's end.

PARKING PROBLEMS

-- A 7 p.m. Saturday game also would coincide with the Charleston RiverDogs' final regular-season game at nearby Riley Park. If both games sell out, between 17,000 and 18,000 people will vie for parking spots in the area.

Officials from The Citadel, the RiverDogs and the city met weeks ago to discuss the parking situation.

"We met with them almost six weeks ago to work out a really good plan to handle everybody," Whiteman said. "The most we can have down there is about 17,000 people, and last year we had 20,000 people for our Wofford game and had no trouble parking. We think it will work fine.

"Some people might have to walk a little further, but we don't expect it to be a problem. We can get everyone parked within a couple of blocks of the stadium."

RiverDogs general manager Dave Echols said he also expects the parking plan to work well.

"We're going to have most of our parking available in the Hagood parking garage, close to the corner of Hagood Avenue and U.S. 17," he said. "And we're going to use Brittlebank Park and two new lots on Lockwood Boulevard across from The Bristol. The Medical University will allow us those three areas, and we've worked out a nice deal with The Citadel and MUSC to help us out."

Echols said the RiverDogs' VIP lot, where players and employees park next to Riley Park, will not be available for Citadel football parking.

STORM DAMAGE

-- The Citadel: A tree fell across the fence at Willson Field, the Bulldogs' football practice field. At Riley Park, there was minor wind damage and some signs blown down.