Tiger Tailgate 101

Prerequisites: None required, however, students who have successfully completed Love of Tradition and College Football will be given priority registration.

Course requirements: Successful completion of the following units will ensure credit is earned for TT 101: Family and Friends Communication; Finger Food Prep and Safety; Navigation of Parking, including Numbered, Reserved, and Area Zones; Hydration and Sunscreen Application.   Course is team taught.  Average attendance: 75,000.  Be on time.

Seriously, what a perfect September day for Clemson’s opener against the Mean Green of North Texas State!  We are not (yet) season ticket holders, so we were so grateful to have four 40-yard line seats and the accompanying reserved parking pass given to us to enjoy by Lovely Girlfriend’s kind parents.  Son1’s roommate’s mom and I decided to tailgate together, in hopes of meeting some of our boys’ new friends.  Let’s just say that it was an entirely successful plan! 

Me, Little, the Mister, Middle, Son1, Lovely, two “Darling” friends before we set up for the tailgate.  The West Zone of Death Valley is in the background!  Lovely, Son1, and Great Roommate discuss their student tickets. One of our three serving areas.  Chic-Fil-A nuggets, barbecue sliders, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, celery and carrots, apple slices, cole slaw, macaroni and cheese, four-bean salsa, fresh tomato salsa, chips, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, mint brownies, walnut brownies, oatmeal cookies, and coolers of waters and soft drinks made up our menu.  We had no idea how many kids might show up, so we kept it pretty simple. Little, Middle, and Great Roommate’s Little Brother, cool off under the tent.  The also had a great time sliding down the hill. Great Roommate’s mom (on the right) catches up with an old friend.  As you can see, more students are stopping by to say hello and have a bite.

At its peak, we think our tailgate had about 40 kids!  Very, very fun! Tailgate  set-up of a cute friend from church!  Her boys are upperclassmen, and she has given me a world of great advice for the past several years!

Fans begin to line-up for the Players’ Walk from the buses to the stadium.  Middle is, of course, in the thick of it!

Orange Crush!  The players look so handsome in their jackets and ties.As you can see, quite a few folks line up to cheer them on to victory. A few hours later, we are in our seats and ready for the “most exciting 25 seconds in college football!” when the Clemson Tigers touch Howard’s Rock and run down The Hill and onto the field!  It is an electrifying moment!The canon is fired; Tiger Rag is blaring; and fans are cheering wildly! The view from our amazing seats, which came with cushions and backs, I might add! Tiger Band at halftime, plays the “Tiger Rag,” the “song that shakes the Southland!”

With a few ticks left on the clock, Middle has made his way down to the wall.  He is determined to get quarterback Kyle Parker’s autograph after the game.  Parker is an amazing athlete who not only scored 20 touchdowns last season, he also—in the same academic year—hit 20 homeruns!  He has signed a multi-million dollar contract with the Colorado Rockies.  Folks around here are so proud of him, and we’re pretty happy he decided to play football another season, too. Yet again, Middle is in the thick of it, after the game.  Did he get his autograph? Yes, he did.  Final score, Clemson 35, North Texas, 10.

Can’t wait to do it again!