At UCF, tailgate game plan features fun, food and safety - Orlando Sentinel

Source: Orlando Sentinel
By: Sarah Langbein

In a sea of tailgaters, Kevin McNamara stands out -- or, more accurately, his head does.

The knight perched atop McNamara's homemade helmet has become a University of Central Florida tailgating icon. So has McNamara, who drives a customized gold and black Ford Mustang -- complete with UCF hubcaps.

For 15 years, he has been making tailgating memories outside the Citrus Bowl, but Saturday will be different.

The inaugural game at Bright House Networks Stadium will bring the 1974 graduate back to campus, along with thousands of other tailgaters who will ring in the Knights' new stadium with hot coals, grilled meat and cold beer.

But as the university starts fresh with the debut of the stadium, and with the memory of a campus officer killed during a pre-game celebration in 2005, officials say they've tried to ensure that drunken revelers and unruly fans don't mar the game.

Al Harms, the UCF vice president coordinating the big game's planning, said he expects fans to exhibit responsible behavior.

Tailgaters are expected to start arriving as early as 7 a.m. for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff against the University of Texas Longhorns to stake out a prime location, lugging coolers, lawn chairs and black-and-gold picnic blankets with them.

While its football program is still young, and not always successful, the university's fans have embraced the tradition of tailgating. But like other football schools, the party can sometimes get out of hand.

An estimated 35 million to 50 million Americans will tailgate this year, according to the American Tailgaters Association. Because the pastime doesn't require you to know the difference between a touchdown and a first down, it draws more than just sports enthusiasts.

Tailgating has become almost as important as the game, said Robert Tuchman, whose company, TSE Sports & Entertainment specializes in professional tailgate parties.

"It drives people out there," he said. "It's an excuse to party."

McNamara and others planning to party it up think the festivities will be much better organized because the parking is closer to the stadium and students will be able to tailgate nearby and walk to the game.

In honor of the first on-campus tailgate party, uber fan McNamara plans to "kick it up a notch," trading his traditional entree of hot dogs and burgers for Texas T-bones.