Eleven days after terrorist attacks struck the country, ETSU was prepared to put on its first football game in the brave new world.
Though the Mini-Dome is in no great danger, Mark Spencer, assistant athletic director for business operations, said increased security measures were undertaken so that fans could “feel comfortable” in light of recent events.
Twice the normal amount of ETSU public safety officers worked the game. In addition, nearly every external and internal door was manned by at least two people.
According to Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs Matt Phillips, public safety and athletic department officials met on Monday to discuss security strategies for this game.
Those changes implemented this week went along with policies that changed before the first home game Sept. 8.
“We had already taken away the ability to bring (in) outside drinks and outside food,” Phillips said.
Thus, there was no need for fans to bring coolers, an item banned this past week at many stadiums across the country.
ROTC members and Eagle Scouts are also amongst security personel, Phillips said.
No security problems during the event were reported to either Phillips or Spencer.
“If we would have had the problem it would have been the first game,” Phillips said in reference to the rules put in before the season.
“This was one of the easiest games I’ve worked in a long time,” Spencer said.
Certainly, it was easier than the night Spencer spent at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta when a bomb went off in Centennial Olympic Park.
“I was actually working the night of the bombing,” he said.
Yet, he said he never felt threatened in Atlanta because of the amount of security surrounding the entire Games, including that which protected him as he worked tickets.
If he didn’t fear working at the Olympics that night, he also would not have feared college football games played the weekend after Sept. 11.
Though he understands the reasons the contests were postponed, he said he “would have liked to” have played the games, had the decision been up to him.
“The quicker you can get back to healing and normalcy,” Spencer said, the better.
Regardless, the games resumed this week.
Preceding kickoff a statement was read crystallizing the events of the past weeks before a moment of silence was observed.
The Marching Bucs then performed “God Bless America” followed by the entrance of the football Bucs, led onto the field by Scott Carter, carrying a large American flag. Stars and Stripes having made their appearance, the national anthem was played, eliciting a perceptively louder ovation than usual as well as the now-familiar U-S-A chant.

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