Week 3: Purple Haze

 41 years ago, I embarked on an infamous road trip from Frostburg State University in Maryland to East Carolina University in Greenville, NC for a long weekend. During that trip, my college roommate and I somehow managed to convince everyone we met that we were Dan Marino and Todd Blackledge. At the time, Marino and Blackledge were graduating seniors from the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State, respectively, and were gearing up for the NFL draft. We told people we were in Greenville for an NFL scouting workout. It worked like a charm! 

This past weekend, after a few days in Charleston, South Carolina, Mrs. Tailgate and I drove up to Greenville, NC for my return visit after 41 years to meet up with my siblings and other family members. I failed to heed Mrs. Tailgate’s advice to stop for gas, and five miles from Greenville, my car decided to side with her, running out of gas on the highway. That’s how the weekend began, but fortunately, it wasn’t a bad omen for the rest of the trip. Friday night was filled with a hotel happy hour, followed by pizza and beer in town. Greenville, as I had been told, rolls out the purple carpet for football weekends.

East Carolina University (ECU) is part of the American Athletic Conference and plays its games in the 50,000-seat Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. This was my first visit to the stadium, another one off the list! ECU is known as the Purple Pirates, and the game day swag—pirate flags, costumes, and more—adds to the school’s strong spirit. Their opponent this past Saturday was their cross-state rival, the Appalachian State Mountaineers. While Appalachian State represents the mountain region of North Carolina, ECU represents the coastal region, and their rivalry has been building over the last decade.

Pano shot of Dowdy Ficklen Stadium

Notable former players from ECU include former NFL quarterback Jeff Blake and Super Bowl-winning linebacker Robert Jones of the Dallas Cowboys. One of my old Army buddies, Trey Johnson, was also a wide receiver for ECU back in the early ’80s. In classic fashion, I decided to wait for ticket prices to drop instead of accepting my brother’s offer of an $80 ticket. Luck was on my side, and I scored three free tickets for myself, Mrs. Tailgate, and one of my sisters. By game time, had my brother waited, tickets were down to $9 on StubHub.

The chefs grilling protein

On game day, we set up our tailgate near the baseball stadium. Family members, including my siblings, in-laws, and second cousins, joined in. Unfortunately, my brother Brian was back at the hotel nursing a man-cold and missed the fun. With four vehicles parked together, we pitched our tent, blared the music, fired up the grills, set up corn hole and got the party started. The menu included Old Bay chicken wings, Sis’s beer brats, cheeseburgers, skewered anchovies, chips, brownies, and much more. Ice-cold Natty Boh and margaritas were the drinks of choice. The weather couldn’t have been better—overcast skies and a light breeze made for a perfect early fall/late summer tailgating atmosphere.

Revving up the tailgate

My long lost son mini me, sister in law Judy and my sibs.

The walk from the tailgate to the stadium allowed us to soak in ECU’s game day energy. The excitement, passion, and pageantry rivaled that of any Power Five school. I was impressed with the dedication ECU puts into their game day experience.

The game day crew!

 In the stadium, we settled into our free seats just in time for the Purple Pirates' entrance, set to Jimi Hendrix’s "Purple Haze" with purple mist billowing across the field. There was even a flyover of two F/A-18 jets. Allegedly, Vice Presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance was in attendance, with sniper teams stationed in high perches for security.

Clockwise from top left: The flyover, the Williams clan, Real Housewives from Greenville and Mrs. TG and Sis.

The game kicked off with a resounding roar—or should I say “Arrrrgggg!”—from the Purple Pirates, who quickly jumped out to a 16-0 lead over a stunned Appalachian State. But from the second quarter onward, Appalachian State dominated both through the air and on the ground, while also holding ECU’s offense in check. App State managed to score 14 points in the second quarter, only trailing 16-14 at halftime. They took the lead in the third quarter, going up by five points, but a field goal in the fourth quarter narrowed the margin to two. Appalachian State ultimately emerged victorious, 21-19. Despite the loss, it was an exciting game, and we stayed until the very end.

Scenes from Dowdy -Ficklen

Around The Country:
ESPN College GameDay was in Columbia, South Carolina, where the Gamecocks hosted the LSU Tigers. In a close contest, LSU came from behind to win 36-33. The ABC game of the week saw Georgia narrowly escape Lexington, Kentucky, with a 13-12 win over the Wildcats, led by former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff. In Fort Collins, Colorado, Deion Sanders took receipts again as the Buffaloes defeated in-state rival Colorado State for the second consecutive year. 

The upset of the day took place in Seattle, where Washington State took down big brother Washington in the Apple Cup. Mississippi State followed Notre Dame’s lead by inviting a “guaranteed win” opponent, Toledo, to Starkville, only to lose in stunning fashion. Boston College gave Missouri a scare in Columbia, but fell six points short. Notre Dame rebounded from last week’s disaster by steamrolling Purdue, 67-6. Florida State’s season officially became a dumpster fire, as they were throttled by Memphis, dropping them to 0-3 on the season. 

Best sign at ESPN Gameday

Roll Tide Rectors in Madison with friends

Bieber Award:
This week, you get to choose the Bieber Award winner:

• Candidate #1: Some guy running out of gas five miles from Greenville on Friday.

• Candidate #2: My brother Brian, for overpaying for tickets and missing the tailgate with his "man cold."

• Candidate #3: Our old friend, Kevin “OC” O’Connor, the head Sun Devil. Big OC drove through cattle country in Texas before the Arizona State vs. Texas State game, only for a longhorn to attack and damage his rental car. The damage was so bad that the rental agency didn’t believe him.

Kevin!!!!

Please vote by submitting your choice in the comment section below. One vote per person, please.

Next week:
I’m off to Boulder, CO for my final Dad’s weekend to watch the CU Buffaloes take on Baylor. It will be a bittersweet trip as #3 is in her final year, marking the end of this cherished ritual for me. I might also catch a game at Division II powerhouse Colorado School of Mines in Golden, with a stop at Coors Brewery for some pre-gaming!

Happy Tailgating!