UD ticket office puts Flyer Faithful in seats

They spend so much time interacting with Flyer fans that they’ve gotten close with many of them. And longtime ticket-buyers sometimes reach out to show their appreciation for being treated like a valued customer.

“You get to know them very well through the years,” said Donna Cox, who’s been doing her job for about two decades. “Some bring us cookies.”

Gary McCans, who runs the ticket department, has an office adjacent to the one occupied by Cox, Robyn Swenson, Peggy D’Amico and grad student Kim Bertovich. He marvels at the people skills they exhibit.

“These ladies are off-the-chart when it comes to customer service,” McCans said. “I sit back here and listen to them take crap, and they get the person calmed down and solve the situation. It’s just amazing sometimes.”

Swenson said the staff goes the extra mile for a reason: “We’d rather keep a faithful fan who has been here for years than find someone new.”

The ticket staff works year-round. In May, they’re billing folks on the Arena Seating Plan, and payments need to be collected by June 30. At the beginning of July, they send notices to other season-ticket holders, and those checks are collected and recorded by mid-August.

They do follow up with the stragglers in September and then start accommodating requests for seat relocations in October. And they’ll continue to sell season tickets right up to the first game.

They also process the transactions for the Atlantic 10 ticket packages. And McCans said they’ve managed to coax quite a few fans to upgrade to full season-ticket plans.

They put in plenty of hours — especially on game days. And in addition to those duties, they’re in charge of football and women’s basketball ticket sales, along with offseason concerts and other events at UD Arena.

But while their office quarters on the west side of the arena are a little cramped, the workplace is far from being a dreary place.

To keep a sense of humor during insanely busy times in the past, they would post some of the more comical requests on a dry-eraser board, calling them “The Question of the Week.”

“Someone asked, ‘Have the catsup and mustard packages changed?’ The lady said her husband hit her in the arm every game when he tried to open them because it was so hard,” Cox said.

“We’d say (facetiously), ‘Yeah, that’s a ticket office question.’ ”

Swenson, who’s been on staff since enrolling at UD in 2001, recalls getting weekly calls from the same woman wondering if the annual circus at UD Arena would be bringing a certain magician back.

“I don’t know how many years it’d been since we’ve had that magician in it,” Swenson said.

Flyer basketball fans can be a handful, too. While they’re known for their loyalty, they also can be a bit fussy.

“We find out the hot dogs are colder, the drinks don’t have enough ice, and the music is too loud when they lose,” Cox said.

But she’s learned how to deal with difficult callers.

“Most just want somebody to listen even if you can’t help them out,” Cox said. “That placates them.”

All of the women are Flyer fans, naturally. Cox started following the team when she worked at NCR years ago.

“Of course, the heartthrob was Donnie May,” she said of the 1967-68 All-American. “All the girls were crazy about him. I didn’t know anybody there who wasn’t a UD fan. That’s all they talked about every day. They couldn’t wait for the season to start.”

The ticket staffers get no perks such as front-row seats. They actually have to watch the games on a TV in the office since they’re usually working at least until halftime, overseeing a staff of 15-to-20 students who help out.

But basketball coach Brian Gregory made sure each received an NIT championship watch when the Flyers won the 2010 title.

He’ll stop in periodically to thank them for their work, and the players are always respectful, too.

“We do the tickets for their parents,” Cox said. “It’s always, ‘yes ma’am and no ma’am.’ ”

Despite their many years dealing with season-ticket holders, the passion among the fan base still can leave them awed.

“There are so many people who have had season tickets since the Fieldhouse days or the Fairgrounds days, even (pre-1950),” Swenson said. “And they’re still here.”

Said Cox: “Every year we say that. We can’t believe it. When our (ticket) renewals come back, it’s just amazing.”

Contact this writer at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDaily News.com.