Tailgating a tradition before games

Oct. 21, 2004
By Tim Musachio
Staff Writer

Every home football game, fans pack Brady Street Stadium to cheer the Bees on to victory. For this year’s Homecoming game against Trinity International there was an unofficial count of 3,500 people inside the stadium for the game.

However this isn’t the only way to enjoy a home football game. The majority of students and some parents that attend games watch from across the street north of the field. If you include these people outside there were around 5,000 people at the Homecoming game.

Ticket prices for adults entering the game are $5. Ambrose students can get in for free by showing their school ID. Although, like nearly all universities, St. Ambrose doesn’t sell alcohol in the stadium. Fans are resorted to camping out across the street to enjoy a beverage while watching the game. That area is owned by the Davenport School District.

This tailgating tradition has been going on for quite some time.
“The use of that land for tailgating has been going on for as long as I can remember,” football sports information director Ryan Holtman said. “It’s tough to give an exact date of when it started.”

A festival like atmosphere with barbeques, bean bags and flippy cup may seem more like a party than a football game. Cars are parked in the grass set up with great tasting food and coolers of cold beer. Even from this vantage point, fans are still interested in watching the game. Students, family and friends line the street to get a good view of the action
“It makes watching the game much more enjoyable than just sitting in the stands,” St. Ambrose University student Nick Fleer said.

It’s also a comfort issue. The cold hard aluminum bleachers in the stadium can be rough. Lawn chairs provide more comfort throughout a long game, which usually lasts over three hours.

However for those who don’t watch the game the question often asked is “what’s the score?” The reason for this is because the scoreboard faces the south end zone, away from the tailgate area. These students agree that if a scoreboard faced the other way they would be more interested in the game and more would be encouraged to watch.

A representative of Brady Street Stadium commented that the reason for the scoreboard placement is so spectators who actually pay can have a better view. There is a possibility that some sort of scoreboard facing the north might be there in the future.

For the average SAU student, tailgating is the way to enjoy home football games. Even if you’re not a football fan there is plenty to do at home games.

Tailgating across the street has been an Ambrose tradition for years. It looks as though it will continue to be this way for many more years to come.

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