Went to Florida about a week ahead of the game, well Dec. 26, and stayed with relatives. Took 'em all out to eat, on the Atlantic Coast (Coco) and as a fluke, I decided to wear my Kentucky cap.
There were 6 Kentucky caps in that particular restaurant that evening, 5 days before kickoff, and on the opposite coast of the Outback Bowl. I left wondering how many had left their caps at the hotel room.
Kentucky fans didn't just dominate the host venue, they dominated the host state, for days leading up to kickoff. We saw Kentucky fans everywhere, all the time.
At the game, parking was a hoot. I'm from a very small town. The folks who parked immediately to our right were from our town, and two spots to our left, the same. We walked in together, laughing our arses off, and collected 8 or 10 more local folks on the short walk to the stadium entry. Finally, I suggested we do a huge group picture, at our gate, given the "coincidence" of meeting 20 or so folks from a town of 2000.
When we got the photo back (that's right kids, it used to take a while to get 'em back) there was a couple no one knew . . . . but they were in Blue.
I remember this one old van parked near us, and when the rear door opened about 6 or 7 college age kids came rolling out, looking pretty rough . . . . one said they had done an all-nighter to make the drive.
We sat on the Penn State side, and I had actually anticipated meeting some Penn State fans. There were none I saw in the upper deck.
There had been talk during bowl prep, that the Outback Bowl could be Joe Paterno's last, and that he might turn the reins over to a guy named "Sanduski . . . ."
I have seen references to our having hauled 40,000 fans, but the most common estimate at the time was 50,000 plus.
We lost, and on the way out, I parted from my crowd, to take a leak at a mid-level entry way. This was my first experience with "club-level seating." There was carpet and leather couches, everywhere . . . . I have done Club Level at MCB since, for $70.00 a throw (probably a lot more, now.)
Having handled the call of nature, I exited next to a guy wearing Blue and White, but he seemed depressed, like with his head down. I slapped him on the back and said, "cheer up, we'll kick their arses, next year." He turned his head, and by damn, he was wearing a Penn State cap. I shook his hand, and told him I had hoped to meet a Penn State fan, and he was the only one I got close to . . . . on Penn State's side of the stadium. I congratulated him on the win, and thanked him for his interest in college football. I didn't have the camera on me, or I would have snapped one of him to show my friends who had exited prior to me, what a Penn State fan looked like.
A few years later, I and about 500 football fans joined WildcatFaithful.com en mass within like a week of another site selling out, and lots of us met Mel McCain, at a Spring Game. He wasn't a Football first kind of guy, but his site for a period was overwhelmingly football folks. He bragged to me once that Kentucky Fans dominated the host venues at the SEC tourney, etc., and I asked him if he'd done a bowl game yet.
Unfortunately, old Mel didn't quite make it to the Bowl streak from 2006 to 2010, as he passed in Nov., 2004.
I wish he'd made it to the Music City Bowl in December, 2006. I didn't even get to meet a Clemson fan at that one. There were very few there, and they mostly left after we got a 28-7 lead.
Seriously, if you have never done a UK Bowl Game, JUST DO IT. You can even do public transport in the host City, whichever it is, because they will be packed with Cat fans. It's a party for like 3 days prior to and a couple after the actual game, 'cause lots of folks make a week of it from Christmas to New Years.
There were 6 Kentucky caps in that particular restaurant that evening, 5 days before kickoff, and on the opposite coast of the Outback Bowl. I left wondering how many had left their caps at the hotel room.
Kentucky fans didn't just dominate the host venue, they dominated the host state, for days leading up to kickoff. We saw Kentucky fans everywhere, all the time.
At the game, parking was a hoot. I'm from a very small town. The folks who parked immediately to our right were from our town, and two spots to our left, the same. We walked in together, laughing our arses off, and collected 8 or 10 more local folks on the short walk to the stadium entry. Finally, I suggested we do a huge group picture, at our gate, given the "coincidence" of meeting 20 or so folks from a town of 2000.
When we got the photo back (that's right kids, it used to take a while to get 'em back) there was a couple no one knew . . . . but they were in Blue.
I remember this one old van parked near us, and when the rear door opened about 6 or 7 college age kids came rolling out, looking pretty rough . . . . one said they had done an all-nighter to make the drive.
We sat on the Penn State side, and I had actually anticipated meeting some Penn State fans. There were none I saw in the upper deck.
There had been talk during bowl prep, that the Outback Bowl could be Joe Paterno's last, and that he might turn the reins over to a guy named "Sanduski . . . ."
I have seen references to our having hauled 40,000 fans, but the most common estimate at the time was 50,000 plus.
We lost, and on the way out, I parted from my crowd, to take a leak at a mid-level entry way. This was my first experience with "club-level seating." There was carpet and leather couches, everywhere . . . . I have done Club Level at MCB since, for $70.00 a throw (probably a lot more, now.)
Having handled the call of nature, I exited next to a guy wearing Blue and White, but he seemed depressed, like with his head down. I slapped him on the back and said, "cheer up, we'll kick their arses, next year." He turned his head, and by damn, he was wearing a Penn State cap. I shook his hand, and told him I had hoped to meet a Penn State fan, and he was the only one I got close to . . . . on Penn State's side of the stadium. I congratulated him on the win, and thanked him for his interest in college football. I didn't have the camera on me, or I would have snapped one of him to show my friends who had exited prior to me, what a Penn State fan looked like.
A few years later, I and about 500 football fans joined WildcatFaithful.com en mass within like a week of another site selling out, and lots of us met Mel McCain, at a Spring Game. He wasn't a Football first kind of guy, but his site for a period was overwhelmingly football folks. He bragged to me once that Kentucky Fans dominated the host venues at the SEC tourney, etc., and I asked him if he'd done a bowl game yet.
Unfortunately, old Mel didn't quite make it to the Bowl streak from 2006 to 2010, as he passed in Nov., 2004.
I wish he'd made it to the Music City Bowl in December, 2006. I didn't even get to meet a Clemson fan at that one. There were very few there, and they mostly left after we got a 28-7 lead.
Seriously, if you have never done a UK Bowl Game, JUST DO IT. You can even do public transport in the host City, whichever it is, because they will be packed with Cat fans. It's a party for like 3 days prior to and a couple after the actual game, 'cause lots of folks make a week of it from Christmas to New Years.
