The game against Indiana was sure to play to a capacity crowd, plus anyone else who could be shoehorned in. Considering the number of people who wanted to be there, however, it was more like a private showing.
It represented the toughest ticket for any sporting event in the state, the only possible exception being the Indianapolis 500. The next-toughest was when Purdue played at Assembly Hall, which represented slightly better odds for fans because it held about 3,000 more people. Mackey was sold out by season ticket sales alone, so the fan on the street had virtually no chance of getting a ticket for this game unless he was willing to pay a scalper’s price of up to $150 apiece. The athletic department held tickets back for special occasions, of course, but it couldn’t possibly satisfy the demand for this kind of special occasion.
The public’s interest was so great for the game that crowd control became a prime issue. Four days before the game, Athletic Director George King circulated a stern memo throughout Mackey: “There will be no one admitted thru any door, upper or lower level, without a ticket. We all share this responsibility!! Don’t embarrass anyone!! There will be a policeman on each door!!”
In other words, don’t try to sneak your friends into the game.
