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First Baylor-McCallie title game gives Finley notable financial boost

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / McCallie players rush to celebrate with the student section after their win against Baylor in the BlueCross Bowl Division II-AAA state championship game at Finley Stadium on Nov. 30.
Staff photo by Olivia Ross / McCallie players rush to celebrate with the student section after their win against Baylor in the BlueCross Bowl Division II-AAA state championship game at Finley Stadium on Nov. 30. Staff photo by Olivia Ross / McCallie players rush to celebrate with the student section after their win against Baylor in the BlueCross Bowl Division II-AAA state championship game at Finley Stadium on Nov. 30.

By David Paschall 3 min read

McCallie’s thrilling 34-28 triumph over Baylor on Nov. 30 in the TSSAA Division II-AAA football championship game inside Finley Stadium was historical.

Profitable, too.

The first title pairing of two Chattanooga-area teams — let alone the state’s most recognized high-school rivalry — resulted in 18,149 spectators purchasing tickets for that day’s three-game spectacle that also contained Boyd-Buchanan’s loss to Christ Presbyterian Academy in the DII-AA finale. The memorable meeting between the Blue Tornado and Red Raiders led to an excess of $1 million in Finley Stadium revenue for the fourth quarter of 2023.

It was the second-highest revenue quarter in the history of the 20,412-seat facility that opened in October 1997.

“I don’t know that there has ever been an event in Chattanooga that really captivated the city quite like that did,” Finley Stadium executive director Brian Wright said Tuesday. “To have two local teams and one legendary rivalry playing in your own city was just an incredible thing.