Derrick Gragg has long believed that game day at Eastern Michigan University has to about more than football.

Gragg, the university's athletic director, has fought to change a long-standing tradition of poor attendance at a school that has struggled to put a winning product on the field and to draw fans into Rynearson Stadium.

After issuing season tickets to more than 100 participants who took part in coach Ron English's women's football clinic last month, Gragg is targeting game days as a way to reach out to the university's surrounding community.

"It's not an exact science," Gragg said Monday night. "But we need to do everything we can to maximize our crowds."

The school and the Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce have teamed to sponsor a 5K run that offers participants a ticket to the Eagles' season-opener against Army on Sept. 5. Additional game tickets can be purchased for $3. Winners of the men's and women's divisions will be announced during the game and will receive a $100 prize.

The timed race will begin at 5 p.m. and will wind through Ypsilanti and Eastern Michigan's campus along the Border To Border trail. Participants will receive a T-shirt, water bottle and participation medal. The entry fee for the run is $25.

Gragg said he plans to look into concerts and other events that will stimulate interest in a football program that hasn't posted a winning season since 1997. And while English's hiring has piqued interest, Gragg said the university needs to do its part.

The later kick-off against Army coincides with freshmen moving onto campus on the same day Eastern Michigan kicks off its first season under English. With 1,800 new students on campus and a new parents tailgate prior to the game, Gragg hopes to add to the existing fan base.

In recent years, the highest attendance came when Eastern Michigan drew more than 10,000 fans for a game against Howard University, an African -American school that boasts one of the country's top marching bands. Gragg said the school will look to schedule games against similar opponents that would draw from the greater Detroit area.

The school is working with more Ypsilanti-area organizations - like the chamber and area youth football groups - that will diversify the crowds that attend games at Rynearson.

"We're trying to be much more collaborative with the community," Gragg said. "We have to have other things in place to make our game day more of an event and more than just the game itself."

Registration for the 5K run will begin at 3:30 p.m. and take place in the Eagles' Landing Tailgate Zone. The event will include live entertainment and a variety of activities for all ages.

Tailgating is open for two hours before the game. Advanced registration for the event is before Aug. 31. Registration and packet pick-up will be available on Sept. 4 in Downtown Ypsilanti at J. Neil's Mongolian Barbeque on Michigan Avenue from 5-7 p.m. On-site registration the day of the race will be available, but a T-shirt is not guaranteed. Proceeds from the run will benefit the Chamber's Economic Development activities. For information or to register for the Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce 5K Run visit www.ypsichamber.org.

"We're fortunate to have such a great partnership with Eastern Michigan University. We really want the 5K run to be a special event for the runners as well as their families and friends," Chamber President Diane Keller said in a release issued Monday. "We look forward to making this an annual event."