You could actually hear the chirp of the crickets at the Indian Center Saturday night.
Though the parking lot was full of a couple of hundred cars by game time at 8 p.m., the area was almost silent. This week, the popular destination for tailgating served as little more than a parking lot for fans headed to the Nebraska-Illinois game at Memorial Stadium.
Usually, gameday at the Indian Center -- "the res" as many tailgaters call it -- is a thriving party with music, yard games, food and alcohol.
Some 3,000 Husker fans showed up last Saturday, hours before the Nebraska-Miami kickoff. The tailgate got out of control, ending in 13 arrests, thousands of dollars in damage and a police officer in the hospital.
This week, a temporary fence ran along the perimeter of the Indian Center's land. Signs warned tailgaters, "No walk-ins, alcohol or drugs." Police cruisers sat around the property, and police officers milled about. Frank Bear Killer, head of parking at the Indian Center, said the new measures were to deter walk-ins and maintain a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere at the center. Instead, the new rules seemed to be deterring everyone.Â
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Usually, the Indian Center uses two of its own security guards, two guards hired from a security company and a couple of out-of-uniform Lincoln police officers on site during game days. This week, there were also uniformed police officers.Â
Capt. Anthony Butler said this week was “quite the contrast†to past Saturdays at the Indian Center.
“There is really nothing going on here,†he said. “People are just parking and leaving.â€
Indian Center Director Clyde Tyndall and other board members visited the center Saturday. They're faced with deciding what to do about the property to prevent rowdy tailgates in the long term.
Bear Killer said the center will need to be prepared to deal with a loss in revenue, depending on what decision leaders make. In the past, the center has made about $10,000 per home game, finance director Bobby Robinette said last week. With seven home games this year, that would total about 10 percent of the center's annual income, which is then funneled into programs such as the commodity food program and the employment program.
But the tailgaters went elsewhere Saturday before the Nebraska-Illinois game, Trev Muth, a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said. He had watched the tailgate get out of control last week.
“The college kids have learned their lesson,†Muth said. “A lot of us are disappointed that they can't come and drink here. But we will find something else to do and somewhere else to go.â€
Muth parked near the Indian Center and was heading to an organized tailgate under the Salt Creek Bridge. As he walked by the mostly empty lot, he took a photo on his phone to send to friends.
“It looks nothing like last week or any other gameday,†he said. “It’s sad, but the fact that they aren't tailgating (at the Indian Center) is their loss, not ours.â€
That’s not how Rodger and Marilyn Heider see it: It's a loss to football fans, as well. As longtime season ticket holders, the couple have parked near the Indian Center for every game for more than a decade. This week, the Heiders brought along some friends who’d never been to a Husker game before.
“We wish there was more tailgating for them to see,†Rodger Heider said. “It’s always such an energy here with all of the college students. Obviously, it can get crazy, but there’s a spirit that’s just gone today.
“It just looks like a campground with parked cars. It’s as quiet as a morgue.â€