Free Tickets to Sept. 28 Duke Football Game

Hearing the cheers of a crowd is nothing new for Devin Wickward when he plays football with his local athletic association around the Triangle. But there's something special about doing cheering of his own, like when he watched Duke's football team with his family during last year's Employee Kickoff Celebration.

Along with his older brother, sister, father and mom, who works at Duke, Devin watched from the stands as Duke beat Florida International University to begin last year's football season.

"I really liked getting to hang out with my family while watching the game, because I learned how to play better from seeing the Duke players," said Devin, 12. "I paid attention to the players' strides when they ran and learned to go faster and get more running power."

The Wickwards will be back at this year's Duke football Employee Kickoff Celebration, which offers staff and faculty free tickets to see the Blue Devils play Troy University on Sept. 28. Employees can begin requesting up to four free tickets to the game online. Last year, Duke faculty and staff claimed 9,330 tickets and helped fill Wallace Wade Stadium with just over 31,100 fans.

The Blue Devils are coming off a 6-7 season that included the team's first trip to a bowl game in nearly 20 years. The team also averaged 40 points a game at home.

"We've seen great progress in the football program in recent years, which raises the excitement of the Employee Kickoff as a chance for Duke to celebrate our employees and our football team," said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration. "As one of the only events that brings our entire community and their families together, this is a special opportunity to show our Duke spirit."

Pre-game festivities, including music, inflatable games, face painting and a catered meal, will start three hours prior to kickoff at Krzyzewskiville outside Card Gymnasium. Game time will be determined closer to game day.

As part of game day festivities, fans can cheer on the Blue Devils as the team walks through "Blue Devil Alley" on its way into Wallace Wade Stadium. During halftime, Duke will also take a moment to honor the 50th anniversary of black undergraduate integration. The event, sponsored by Duke Athletics and Human Resources, also includes fireworks.

"We like to dress up and paint our faces so we can be the football version of a Cameron Crazie," said Devin's mom, Cathy Wickward, quality program coordinator at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. "It's a great opportunity for the family to have a fun activity to do together, get excited and engage with Duke football."