Kansas State University - The Royal Purple Yearbook

“GAME DAY (Continued from page 8) sophomore in journalism and masss communications. " It (the game) was cool because I love big crowds and all the excitement. " The first game ' s spirit-filled atmosphere provided an excuse for some students to act crazy. " The first game we decided to call Hat Day. We all wore stocking caps, and some even wore mittens, " said Marcus Mountford, senior in finance. For die-hard Wildcat football fans, Sept. 4 marked the beginning of a promising season. They didn ' t care that most of the national polls had picked the Cats to finish or eighth in the Big Eight because they had confidence in the team and the new starting quarterback, Chad May. " (The Cats will have) at least four home wins. No, we ' ll go with five, and two wins on the road, " said alumnus Joe Lask, who traveled from Oklahoma City for the game. After fans had stuffed themselves full of food and drinks, they headed into the stadium and received free purple balloons and pompons. At kickoff, the balloons were released, transforming the sky into a sea of purple. The new five-story Dev Nelson Press Box was also dedicated on opening day. The $3.2 million structure housed 22 sky suites and 124 club seats. " The press box is amazing, " said Melissa Stover, junior in marketing. " I can ' t believe that is really our press box. I love it. " The fans cheered the team on to a 34-10 victory that extended their home-game winning streak to seven. May proved himself as a by completing 17 of 30 passes for 228 yards. The team ' s performance thrilled the fans. " This is the first game I ever came to, " said Michael Tillman, sophomore in secondary education. " I like it. There ' s a lot of school spirit. Hopefully, it will last the whole season. " High-rise window washer Sam Day is suspended outside the fourth floor windows of the Dev Nelson Press Box at KSU Stadium the Friday evening before the season ' s first game. Tours of the press box were given to guests. The most expensive sky suites had $50,000 fees plus $10,000 annual fees for five years. (Photo by Brian W. Kratzer) ”