Kane County Cougars: A team that gets it right

The year 1991 was a historic one for the Kane County Cougars. They enjoyed their minor league baseball team debut with a 5-0 victory over host South Bend.  

Some 21 seasons later, the Cougars are firmly entrenched as one of the top franchises in all of minor league sports. While other suburban minor league baseball organizations have experienced their share of problems this season - the Schaumburg Flyers were evicted from their Alexian Field home in February, and the Lake County Fielders threatened to fold last month due to permanent stadium construction delays and have experienced additional financial troubles - the Cougars continue to thrive.

Earlier this season, the club reached the 9 million plateau in total attendance, and the Cougars will likely surpass the 400,000 mark in yearly attendance for the 18th consecutive season in 2011 at Geneva's Philip B. Elfstrom Stadium.

What are the keys to their continued success?

"I believe one of the keys is the ability to provide the Chicagoland area with family fee-rated entertainment that is affordable and convenient," said Cougars Assistant General Manager/Sales Director Curtis Haug.

The Cougars are in the first of a two-year player development contract with the Kansas City Royals. They've put a successful product on the field more often than not, clinching a Midwest League playoff berth for the seventh time in nine seasons and 13th in 21 years.

The Cougars opened the Midwest League playoffs with a 4-0 win over the Burlington Bees Wednesday at Elfstrom Stadium. The best-of-three series continued Thursday with a 5-1 loss, and the deciding third game will be Friday in Iowa.

Winning baseball, however, is just a small part of the total entertainment package when it comes to the Cougars.

Game-day promotions have always been a Cougars staple, whether it's one of their 28 postgame fireworks shows offered this season, pregame autograph sessions with players, special theme nights or the entertainment provided by team mascot Ozzie T. Cougar.

"We want everyone to enjoy the ballgame and keep everybody captivated with pregame, between-innings and postgame entertainment," Haug said. "Good food has also been a big key for us over the years, and the customer service our staff provides is second to none.

"It's definitely fans first," Haug said.

While the economy has suffered some since the Cougars' amazing six-year run drawing 500,000-plus fans per season (2001-2006), the team's front office staff has worked harder than ever to keep things moving forward.

"Certainly, there have been challenges the past few years," said Shawn Touney, the team's director of public relations. "But I'd also like to think that we've become a nice refuge for some people the last several years.

"And we're constantly trying to become better," Touney added. "There's no time for complacency. We're always looking for feedback from our fans."

Front office stability - Haug and Jeff Ney, assistant general manager/media & promotions, are both in their 18th years with the club - has helped provide fans with a familiar face to see at Cougars games.

The club's managing partners, Mike Woleben of Northbrook and Mike Murtaugh of Winnetka, are also locally based.

"From the management staff we have down to the hundreds of seasonal people we employ, everyone cares so much about the product," Touney said. "Their enthusiasm has fueled it for 21 years."

For season ticket holder Mike Burnett of St. Charles, there's no place he'd rather be during the summer than sitting behind the visitors' dugout at Elfstrom Stadium.

"It's very affordable entertainment," Burnett said. "I've always been a big-time sports fan, and my wife, Cindy, and I just think it's a fun environment to be around. The Cougars always provide interaction with the fans and they have great people who work there.

"Plus, there's a good chance to watch a guy who may be playing in the major leagues some day," Burnett added.

Last week, pitcher Andrew Carignan, who played in Geneva in 2007, became the 115th former Cougars player to reach the majors when he debuted with the Oakland A's, the Cougars' former affiliate.

"There have been a lot of big-name players to go through Elfstrom Stadium," Burnett said. "We saw Prince Fielder play there with Beloit, and we saw Joe Mauer play in an All-Star Game there."

The Cougars will host the 2012 Midwest League All-Star game June 19, while their parent organization, the Kansas City, will host the Major League All-Star Game in July.