Image by brianholsclaw via Flickr
Earlier this month, Dave gave the staff writers here at TailgatingIdeas.com a writing assignment. Our task was to recall the worst tailgating moment that we could remember. The key word for me in that last sentence is “that I can remember”. I have to admit that no disasters, lawsuits that I know of or fatalities have occurred while I’ve been out tailgating. The only moment that comes to mind (outside of watching Dave pay a 9 year-old fifty bucks to cut in front of him at the bathroom) would be tailgating prior to the 2003 Rose Bowl. Our tailgating performance prior to that game was probably the most humbling experience in my tailgating life.
If you can recall back to January 1, 2003, that Rose Bowl featured the University of Oklahoma vs. Washington State. Dave and I packed ourselves into a truck and headed out armed with a very small BBQ, a cooler full of beer and some weak snack items. We even brought along a small power inverter so we could watch the other bowl games on a small 13″ TV powered off of our car battery. The third member of our party trailed in his sedan with his fiancee and would park next to us. We were off to tailgate and impress the world. That feeling lasted all of about fifteen minutes.
We were unfortunate to have pulled into the Rose Bowl parking lot next to the OU fan club who put our weak effort to shame. They had grills made out of 50 gallon drums, a 3 keg tap system, enough food to feed a starving 3rd World Country and a stereo system that rivaled a Van Halen concert. Needless to say I was humbled. So humbled in fact that after a few pride killing beers I joined their fan club. As humiliating as this originally was, it became the launching point for not only my own tailgating passion but for Dave’s which ultimately led to the creation of the website you are reading today.
It occurred to me that I should also mention that the third and fourth member of our party left the game at halftime never to return to their seats. They claimed to be going to the concession stand for another round of beers but as the final gun sounded, they never came back. Upon locating our truck we found them both passed out in the backseat of their own car. The truth be told, I think it was funny and look back on that as a tailgating triumph!
Do you have a Tailgating Tale of a tailgating experience gone bad? A tailgating story that is funny? Then email us HERE and tell us about it. Your story could be the next one published right here on the pages of TailgatingIdeas.com.
