How to beat the heat at Fresno State football opener? Try the walk-in refrigerator
The high temperature in Fresno on Thursday is expected to hit 108 degrees and if it does it will be one of the hottest game days in the history of Valley Children’s Stadium.
Must be a Jeff Tedford thing.
The hottest recorded temperature was 109 degrees on Sept. 2, 2017, when the Bulldogs coach made his first return to his alma mater with a 66-0 victory over Incarnate Word.
The high in Fresno that day hit 109 degrees, according to National Weather Service records.
But with the heat forecast for Tedford’s second homecoming game, Fresno State is taking precautionary measures to keep fans cool when the Bulldogs open the 2022 season against Cal Poly.
Included is a mobile cooling trailer, essentially a walk-in refrigerator on wheels.
Fans also will be allowed to bring into the stadium a sealed bottle of water, Pardini’s will be giving away free cups of water and cooling zones will be set up at the north end of the stadium, the first aid office and on the concourse of Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium adjacent to the stadium.
Kickoff for the game against the Mustangs is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. and while it is likely to have cooled off some, the hottest temperature at kickoff of a game at Valley Children’s Stadium could fall.
It was 102 degrees for that 2017 game against Incarnate Word, which tied games on Sept. 1 2007 against Sacramento State and Sept. 15, 2012 against Colorado.
Fresno State has sold a record number of student season tickets this season, surpassing 1,500 the day before the gam,e and it has sold out its single-game allotment of 3,500 student tickets.
It is expanding the student section to accommodate additional students. Athletics department officials are expecting a crowd of more than 32,000 for the game, despite the heat.
Fresno State vs. Cal Poly Mustangs: Things to watch and an eye toward bigger matchups
