By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball ranked second nationally in average attendance for the 2018-19 season, averaging 2,325 fans per game. The average tied Dixie State for No. 2 on the list, while Northern State (S.D.) led the nation in attendance for the 12th consecutive year. Fort Hays State ranked second alone in total attendance with 37,193 as its final overall tally at home. Fort Hays State helped the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association lead the nation in attendance as a conference for the 10th straight year.
Fort Hays State saw 37,193 fans walk through the gates of Gross Memorial Coliseum over 16 home contests. The Tigers saw their average home attendance rise from 2,264 per game in 2017-18 to 2,325 in 2018-19. By tying for second in average, the Tigers enjoyed their highest placement on the national list in the program’s NCAA Division II history. The Tigers ranked in the top five nationally for attendance in five of the last six years and this is the 10th-straight season the Tigers have been inside the top 10. The strong support played a role in the Tigers having another dominant season at home, going 14-2 at Gross Memorial Coliseum in 2018-19.
Fort Hays State led the way in attendance among MIAA schools for the third straight year. The MIAA led the nation with an average of 1,283 fans per game with nine of its 14 members inside the top 25. Central Missouri (6th), Washburn (9th), and Missouri Southern (10th) joined FHSU among the top 10, all averaging better than 1,600 fans per game.
With its 14-2 record at home in 2018-19, Fort Hays State moved to 377-62 overall inside Gross Memorial Coliseum since joining NCAA Division II. FHSU has achieved at least 10 wins at home in 41 of its 46 seasons overall inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, which opened in 1973. The Tigers have had winning seasons at home in 44 of the 46 years inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Below are the final attendance numbers for the 2018-19 season.
| Rank | Team | Games | 2019 Attendance | Average |
| 1. | Northern State (S.D.) | 14 | 51,526 | 3,680 |
| 2t. | Fort Hays State (Kan.) | 16 | 37,193 | 2,325 |
| 2t. | Dixie State (Utah) | 15 | 34,882 | 2,325 |
| 4. | Augustana (S.D.) | 14 | 31,232 | 2,231 |
| 5. | Winston-Salem (N.C.) | 11 | 21,967 | 1,997 |
| 6. | Central Missouri | 15 | 26,931 | 1,795 |
| 7. | Morehouse (Ga.) | 14 | 24,841 | 1,774 |
| 8. | Bellarmine (Ky.) | 15 | 26,532 | 1,769 |
| 9. | Washburn (Kan.) | 15 | 26,031 | 1,735 |
| 10. | Missouri Southern | 13 | 21,889 | 1,684 |
| 11. | Missouri Western | 12 | 18,782 | 1,565 |
| 12. | Pittsburg State (Kan.) | 13 | 19,715 | 1,517 |
| 13. | Indiana (Pa.) | 21 | 31,568 | 1,503 |
| 14. | West Texas A&M | 17 | 25,161 | 1,480 |
| 15. | Drury (Mo.) | 15 | 21,816 | 1,454 |
| 16. | Elizabeth City State (N.C.) | 12 | 16,874 | 1,406 |
| 17. | Nebraska-Kearney | 15 | 20,774 | 1,385 |
| 18. | Emporia State (Kan.) | 13 | 17,842 | 1,372 |
| 19. | Grand Valley State (Mich.) | 13 | 17,210 | 1,324 |
| 20. | St. Cloud State (Minn.) | 14 | 18,378 | 1,313 |
| 21. | Northwest Missouri State | 17 | 21,606 | 1,271 |
| 22. | Black Hills State (S.D.) | 12 | 15,114 | 1,260 |
| 23. | Alabama Huntsville | 14 | 17,074 | 1,220 |
| 24. | Ferris State (Mich.) | 15 | 17,926 | 1,195 |
| 25. | Southwest Minnesota State | 17 | 19,970 | 1,175 |
| 26. | Tarleton State (Texas) | 16 | 18,473 | 1,155 |
| 27. | West Liberty (W.Va.) | 16 | 18,414 | 1,151 |
| 28. | Rogers State (Okla.) | 13 | 14,945 | 1,150 |
| 29. | North Carolina-Pembroke | 13 | 14,121 | 1,086 |
| 30. | Fairmont State (W.Va.) | 15 | 15,985 | 1,066 |
| Rank | Conference | Teams | Games | 2019 Attendance | Average | Change in Avg. |
| 1. | MIAA | 14 | 202 | 259,089 | 1,283 | 52 |
| 2. | NSIC | 16 | 229 | 240,443 | 1,050 | 1 |
| 3. | CIAA | 13 | 168 | 141,762 | 844 | -213 |
| 4. | Lone Star | 10 | 135 | 111,706 | 827 | 101 |
| 5. | Peach Belt | 12 | 167 | 124,873 | 748 | -14 |
| 6. | RMAC | 16 | 221 | 152,417 | 690 | 134 |
| 7. | SIAC | 13 | 162 | 107,700 | 665 | -50 |
| 8. | GLVC | 14 | 210 | 139,191 | 663 | -3 |
| 9. | GLIAC | 12 | 166 | 102,076 | 615 | 1 |
| 10. | Great Northwest | 11 | 151 | 92,322 | 611 | -3 |