Ball State Alum Mark Lazzer: Every Game Since 1976 MAC Championship Season

Saturday, September 7, marks the official start to the 100th season of Ball State football, as the Cardinals take on Missouri State at Scheumann Stadium. For Mark Lazzer, Sept. 7 signifies the 250th straight game he has attended at Scheumann Stadium.

Prior to Saturday, Lazzer's streak accounts for 249 out of 462 home games in Ball State history! Consider this: prior to joining the MAC in 1975 and moving to the Division I FBS level, many seasons in the Cardinals' first 50 years of football featured four or fewer home games.

Lazzer, over the past 48 seasons, has witnessed more than half of Ball State's playing history in Muncie – and 249 out of 295 games ever played at Scheumann Stadium, which was christened in 1966.

This unique accomplishment was not on the mind of Lazzer, 66, in the fall of 1976 when he saw the Cardinals defeat Louisiana Tech early in his freshman year of college. Even 20 years later, he had not realized the impressive streak in the making.

"In the mid-to-late '90s is when it occurred to me: 'I haven't missed a home game,'" Lazzer thought. "The total was around 110 to 115 games," at the time.

The streak began during the 1976 season opener when Ball State downed La. Tech 41-28. From that home game forward, Lazzer has been in his seat for every game.

Whether it was a 70-yard touchdown run to put the Cardinals over Western Michigan in their 1978 MAC championship season; witnessing Mike Neu connect with a 98-yard bomb to Brian Oliver to kick off Ball State's 27-point comeback against Toledo on homecoming night in 1993; or Corey Parchman running the ball 100 yards on a kick return in another homecoming win against Toledo in 2001 – Lazzer has witnessed plenty of Cardinals history.

"My 200th game was Nov. 5, 2014, and I was fairly ill at the time, so it's been nice to be able to make these past 10 years and make it to 250," Lazzer reminisced.

Saturday, he'll return to his tailgating position at the intersection of Tillotson Ave., and Cardinal Walk. Present as always will be his tent and sign proclaiming, "Mark's Famous Tailgate, Established 1976."

After passing the 250-game milestone this Saturday, Lazzer has his sights set on his next goal: Game 300.

Go Cardinals!

Ball State Alum Mark Lazzer: Every Game Since 1976 MAC Championship Season

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