CHARLOTTESVILLE—In its bid to sell its allotment of 13,500 tickets for the Gator Bowl, U.Va. is closing in on five figures.

A school spokesman said that 9,263 tickets had been sold as of late this afternoon.

That total, however, doesn’t reflect all the tickets sold to Virginia fans planning to attend the Jan. 1 game in Jacksonville, Fla., which doesn’t seem to be an attractive destination this season.  (See the attendance at the ACC championship game in Jax.)

Some fans choose to buy tickets from outlets other than the U.Va. athletic ticket office.  Those tickets don’t count toward the school’s allotment.

In a news release that also was e-mailed to U.Va. supporters Tuesday, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage noted that a poor turnout at the Gator could hurt the Cavaliers in “the selection process for future bowl games. I understand traveling to Charlotte or Atlanta is easier and less expensive than the trip to Jacksonville, but I know our fans will have a great time if they make the decision to attend the game.”

U.Va. (9-3) will face Texas Tech (8-4) in the Gator.

As Virginia has done when sales have been slow for other bowls—such as the MPC Computers in Boise, Idaho, in December 2004—the university is asking fans who are unable to attend the Gator to consider buying proxy tickets.  They’ll be given to at-risk youths through the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.  The proxy tickets are tax-deductible.

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