At the time the Dialer was being designed, the economy was a LOT better than we will probably ever see again.
There were decent crowds at the Rubber Blow, the team was competitive and we thought they would be much better at a shiny new on campus stadium. The AA minor league ball team was setting attendance record at their downtown ball park. Huge improvement over Thurman Munson Stadium.
Enrollment was up, as we found it was a scam to get kids in college. Whether they were capable of passing college or working on a degree that actually had demand.
Locals with cloudy memories of rock concerts at the Rubber Bowl. So yeah, we all thought fans would show up.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.