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Tailgating
Trivia gathered from the Parking Lots across America
The
Origin of Tailgating v1.0
Tailgating dates back to the very first
college football game between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869, when fans traveled
to the game by carriage, grilling sausages and burgers at the "tail
end" of the horse. Today tailgating is a part of most athletic events,
especially college football.
The Origin of Tailgating v2.0
It all began at Yale in 1904. At least that's what they'll tell you. Is it true? Well, other schools claim the honor, but the Yale story has been verified by, you guessed it ...Yale.
Seems there was a train made up of private railcars that brought fans to a Yale game. The train stopped at the station and the fans had to walk the distance to the stadium. When they arrived at the stadium, they were hungry and thirsty. So the idea was born to bring along a picnic hamper of food for the next game. And so Tailgating was born. Necessity the mother of invention, right? Well, so they say.
The Origin of Tailgating v.3.0
Actually, tailgating started in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1919, when the Packers
were first formed. The farmers would back their pickup trucks around the
edge of an open field, drop their tailgates to sit on and eat a prepared
basket of food while they watched the team play. That's where the term
TAILGATE came from.
The Origin of Tailgating
according to Chris Warner
Chris Warner is a freelance writer and radio talk show host
who lives in L.A. (Lower Alabama) with his wife and family. He is the author of
“A Tailgater’s Guide To SEC Football,” and was featured along with
comedian/actor Tom Arnold on the December, 2003 History Channel documentary,
“Tailgating” produced by Atlas Media of New York. Chris holds degrees from
Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and a doctorate from the University of
New Orleans. He is also the author of six other books.
World's Biggest Tailgate Party
The biggest tailgate party we know of is the Florida-Georgia
game in Jacksonville. They call it the World's Largest Cocktail Party.
Fans begin arriving on Wednesday for a Saturday game. And the
party does not stop with kick-off. It keeps going...through half-time,
through overtime. Sometimes they are still partying on Sunday afternoon!
Bowl Games
Although the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) is only 4 years
old, the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, while the Sugar and Orange
Bowls orginated in 1935. The inaugural Fiesta Bowl took place in
1971. Penn State has the most victories in Fiesta Bowl history, winning
all 6 games in which they played.
Barbecue
The term barbecue comes from the
Haitian word for grill...barbacoa. OR...
There may also be a link with the French barbaque, which originates from the romanian word berbec, meaning roasted mutton. OR...
In the early 1700's, sailors wrecked on a French
Island lived on goats that had run away from the settlers. They cooked them
whole on a spit, calling their feast de barbe en queue, "from
beard to tail."
Why does Swiss Cheese have holes?
Also called "eyes" the holes are caused by the
expansion of gas within the cheese curd during the ripening period.
The
HOT DOG
The term hot dog comes from the Polo Grounds in New York.
Back then, a concessionaire named Harry Stevens had his vendors call out "Get your red-hot dachshund sausages!"
The dachshund thing comes from the shape of the sausage as compared to the dog.
Anyway, sports cartoonist T. A. Dorgan was so fond of this expression that he drew a frankfurter shaped like a
dachshund inside a bun. Thus, the name hot dog was born.
BEER
The fact that beer has been around so long
lends evidence to even medieval origins of tailgating. They probably did it
before jousts or throwing a Christian to the lion. To define tailgating as a
party before an event....well there you have it....beer has been around for a
long time and events too.
Cheeseheads
are also Krautheads
That's right, krautheads. It appears that football fans attending games at
Lambeau Field in 2002 went through more sauerkraut than any other condiment on
the menu, including ketchup and mustard. Sadly, consumption of onions and
pickles is not tracked. This amazing and little known fact demonstrates that
Wisconsinites love their cheese, their football, and their kraut.
Football...North VS. South
Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.
Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.
Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America.
Heroes:
NORTH: Rudy Guiliani
SOUTH: Archie, Peyton, & Eli Manning
Getting Tickets:
NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus and purchase tickets.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on Campus and put name on waiting list
for tickets.
Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really
faithful arrive on Tuesday.
Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera and wave to the
fans up North who wonder why "Game Day Live" is never broadcast from their campus.
Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance by "Dave
Matthews' Band," who come over during breaks.
Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it becomes the state's third largest city.
When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH: Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.
Announcer:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.
After the Game:
NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker. Planning begins for next week's game.
When their team wins a game:
NORTH: Stands up and MAY clap.
SOUTH: Storms the field and rips the goal post down and chases the
opposing team until they reach the locker room. Then carries their
cheerleaders to the nearest body of water and throws them in.