Winston-Salem State wants 10,000 fans inside Bowman Gray Stadium this HBCU football season. Athletics director Eric Burns is betting on night football and season tickets to help reach that number.
The Rams will begin their home schedule with two 8 p.m. kickoffs. They host Mars Hill on Sept. 5 before Johnson C. Smith comes to Winston-Salem on Sept. 12.
Those starting times represent more than a return to an old WSSU football tradition. They are part of an attendance strategy built around removing obstacles for alumni, families and fans traveling from Charlotte and other nearby areas.
“The goal is to put 10K in Bowman Gray,” Burns told HBCU Gameday during freshman move-in on Aug. 8. “That’s what we’re trying to move to.”
The 2025 numbers show how ambitious that goal is outside of Homecoming.
Winston-Salem State reported 33,685 fans across four home dates last season. The official average was 8,421, the fifth highest in NCAA Division II football. But Homecoming against Livingstone drew 16,500 fans and accounted for nearly half of that total.
The other three home games drew 5,500 against Lincoln, 5,685 against Virginia State and 6,000 against Virginia Union. Without Homecoming, WSSU averaged 5,728 fans per home game.
Reaching 10,000 for a standard home date would represent an increase of roughly 75 percent over that non-Homecoming average.
Night games expand the WSSU football window
Bowman Gray Stadium seats approximately 17,000 spectators, the third highest capacity in Division II football. A crowd of 10,000 would fill close to 60 percent of the historic venue.
Burns said he studied attendance from previous WSSU night games before setting the early 2026 schedule. New head coach Tory Woodbury also pushed for playing under the lights.
“Coach Woodbury, he was very adamant about, ‘Hey, man, we want to play at night. We want to play at night,’” Burns said.
The 8 p.m. kickoffs should give fans more time to reach Winston-Salem. Burns specifically mentioned alumni and supporters from the Charlotte area whose children participate in Pop Warner football or other Saturday activities.
“A lot of times that 1:00 doesn’t allow them to be able to get to the game,” Burns said. “Now we take the excuse out of the way. The game is at 8:00.”
The later start also creates a longer runway for tailgating. Fans will not have to choose between enjoying their setup and entering the stadium.
“Now you don’t have to compete with those trying to tailgate versus coming into the game,” Burns said. “You have your tailgating time. Now let’s come into the game. Let’s cheer on the Rams.”
Winston-Salem State will play five home games in 2026 after hosting four last season. The three later dates will return to afternoon kickoffs.
Bowie State visits at 1 p.m. on Oct. 10, followed by Bluefield State at 1 p.m. on Oct. 17. Fayetteville State will visit for Homecoming at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Season tickets are a big part of the plan
The department is also trying to build its crowd before the gates open.
Burns said season-ticket sales are running ahead of last year’s pace. A larger base gives WSSU guaranteed revenue and a stronger number to present during sponsorship conversations.
“It’s big from a sponsorship standpoint,” Burns said.
Winston-Salem State has priced a general-admission season ticket at $130. The package covers all five home games, including Homecoming.
Individual tickets cost $30 for each of the four standard games and $50 for Homecoming. Buying all five separately would cost $170.
The season pass saves a fan $40 while giving the athletic department a committed buyer for the full schedule.
“To me, it’s a no-brainer,” Burns said.
He also encouraged ticket holders who cannot attend every game to give their tickets to other supporters instead of allowing them to go unused.
That matters because Winston-Salem State is not simply trying to sell more tickets. The department wants those purchases to become people inside Bowman Gray. The HBCU is looking to turn the page after a 4-6 season in 2025.
Homecoming has already shown that WSSU fans can approach the stadium’s capacity for the right event. The question is whether night football, a new head coach and a stronger season-ticket base can lift the rest of the home schedule.
The first answer will come Sept. 5, when Woodbury leads his HBCU squad into Bowman Gray for the first time as its head coach.