Packed rivalry game prompts Leon schools to reassess Gene Cox Stadium capacity

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A packed rivalry game at Gene Cox Stadium is prompting Leon County Schools to take another look at how many fans the venue can safely handle, after some paying fans were turned away amid concerns about ticket sharing.

Superintendent Rocky Hanna said the district became aware of people getting into the stadium who should not have been admitted. “What happened was there were some screenshots. People were getting in that shouldn’t have been in,” Hanna said.

The ticket-sharing issue contributed to some paying fans being turned away from the Godby-Rickards game. Leon County School Board Chair Marcus Nichols, who said he attends the game every year, said the crowd appeared noticeably larger than usual. “I go to that game every year, but it just seemed the crowd was larger this year. It was much larger than it had been in years past,” Nichols said.

Jimmy Williams, the district’s chief of safety and security, said he brought together the Tallahassee Fire Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and code enforcement for what he called a “2026 capacity assessment.” Williams said that assessment led the district to a new capacity number for Gene Cox Stadium.

Williams said limiting attendance is tied to safety and security concerns, even if there appears to be space remaining in the stands. “When you say, well, there’s a lot of room left in the stadium, why aren’t we letting people — because it turns into a security and a safety issue,” Williams said.

Leon County Schools has also raised the possibility of moving some of its biggest games to larger venues. For major rivalry matchups, Hanna said the district may look to Florida A&M University’s Bragg Stadium.

“We are going to have a conversation with A&M. That game needs to go to Bragg. So it needs to go to Bragg Stadium,” Hanna said.

FOX 49 requested an interview through Leon County Schools Communications Director Chris Petley with district Athletic Director Dr. Benny Bolden to ask how the district plans to handle high-demand games going forward, how the ticket screenshot issue has been addressed, and where conversations stand on moving certain games to larger venues like Bragg Stadium. The station did not receive a response.

FOX 49 also reached out to Florida A&M University to ask whether conversations have begun with Leon County Schools about using Bragg Stadium for high-demand rivalry games like Godby-Rickards, but had not heard back.