Archive for the ‘College Grill Covers’ Category
Waiting for Acceptance Letters
For those high school seniors who applied early action to various universities, acceptance and rejection letters are about to arrive. My brother is one of those anxious high school seniors waiting to see if he’s been accepted into his top school. You would think having already been accepted to his safety school he’d have a bit less anxiety, but this has not been the case.
His anxiety probably isn’t helped by the fact that my parents have already started stocking up on fan gear from his top school. They received their college grill covers in the mail the other day and are still waiting on a pair of flags and tailgating gear. I’m doing my best to keep my brother distracted from my parents well meaning but antagonizing behavior.
Winterizing a Gas Grill
No, you didn’t read the title wrong. It does say, “Winterizing a Gas Grill.” I’m not referring to grills that use propane; I’m referring to grills that are hooked up to the house’s gas line.
When winter comes, you cannot just leave a gas grill out. You need to make sure the pipe is covered so as to prevent bursting. You’ll also want barbeque grill covers to protect the actual grill from rusting. If you do not take proper precautions, then you will have a very expensive problem on your hands when the ground begins to thaw.
How the Boilermakers Got Their Name
Purdue University’s mascot is officially a locomotive. The nickname “Boilermakers” dates back to 1891. In that year, the football team defeated rival Wabash College 44-0. A headline following the game read, “Slaughter of Innocents: Wabash Snowed Completely Under by the Burly Boiler Makers from Purdue.”
At that time, engineering students engaged in hands-on work in the forge room, like blacksmiths and boilermakers. Names like “coal heavers” and “stevedores” were also used to describe the burly Purdue football players. The name “boilermakers” stuck and the Purdue Boilermakers grill covers, tire covers, and other memorabilia are proudly displayed throughout much of Indiana.
Sooner Schooner
There are some truly fascinating mascots in the American football tradition. One of my favorites is the Sooner Schooner. Rather than being represented by an animal or a person, Oklahoma State University’s mascot is a replica of a Conestoga wagon pulled by two ponies. The ponies’ names are Boomer and Sooner.
Members of the all-male spirit organization known as the RUF/NEKS are responsible for maintaining and driving the Sooner Schooner on game days. After every score, the Sooner Schooner is driven onto the field to celebrate. A RUF/NEK drives the wagon while the RUF/NEK Queen sits beside him. I wonder if there are Oklahoma Sooners grill covers emblazoned with this memorable mascot.
Notre Dame Falls from Top 25
My collegiate football allegiances are well known on this blog. Even though my number one team is not top 25 material, I do like to keep track of what NCAA football teams are doing well and which ones have fallen out of favor. This week, I was keeping an eye out for Notre Dame.
Unsurprisingly, Notre Dame, previously ranked at 22, has fallen off the list. They’ve played a fairly easy schedule this season, and failed to play competitively against a true contender, Stanford (currently ranked 4). Despite my criticisms, Fighting Irish fans still have much to be proud of, and I don’t begrudge any fans who prominently display Notre Dame grill covers and other fan gear, even following this past weekend’s loss
Maryland vs. Notre Dame
This past weekend, the Fighting Irish took on my beloved Maryland Terrapins at FedEx field, the home of the Washington Redskins. I’m not a big football fan, but I always tune into nationally televised games that feature my school. Maryland has not been having a good season. Even the Maryland Pride uniforms couldn’t help them stop Notre Dame from decisively winning the match-up.
Despite the defeat and the injury of our star quarterback, Maryland fans had a good time. is just 15 minutes away from the University of Maryland’s campus, so lots of fans were in attendance. They broke out their Terrapin NCAA grill covers and had fun tailgates before the game – or so it looked from the pictures my friends later posted online.
Kansas State Blows Rival out of the Water
It’s not a big secret that there’s no love lost between Kansas State University and Kansas University. The two rivals faced off this past weekend at KU, and much like last year’s match up, the game was a blowout. KSU dominated 59-21.
Aside from chanting “Just like last year,” the KSU fans were apparently gracious, as were the coaches and players. (It probably didn’t hurt that few KU fans remained in the stands after the third quarter when the outcome of the game became apparent). I wonder if the same number of fans will journey to OU, with their grills and Kansas State grill covers in tow, this upcoming weekend.
Florida State Falls to Clemson
There was much celebrating in Death Valley this past weekend when the Clemson Tigers defeated the Florida State Seminoles, 35-30. The Tigers, at the outset, were ranked No. 21 and the Seminoles were ranked No. 11, making for a spectacular match-up. Tajh Boyd threw for three touchdowns and totaled 344 yards. Another Tiger stand out was Sammy Watkins who finished the game with eight catchers for 141 yards and received two of Boyd’s scoring passes.
Tigers fans, to no one’s surprise, reacted to the win as if they had won the national title. I can’t say I blame them; they’re certainly on a hot streak after defeating the defending BCS champion Auburn last week, snapping that team’s 17 game win streak. The Seminoles have fallen on hard times. Just two weeks ago the Seminoles were ranked fifth in the country and now they can’t even top the ACC. Knowing ‘Noles fans, I know this will not deter them from coming out in full force with Florida State Seminoles grill covers at the next game.
Time to Grow Up, Florida Gators
Florida coach Will Muschamp challenged his team to “grow up” at halftime against Kentucky. The coach said, “We got to start growing up as a football team. We had some adversity, so what? Move on, play the next play.” They definitely need to bring their A-game as they prepare to face off against Alabama, currently ranked third in the nation, this coming weekend.
The game should be a fierce one. Florida is number one in SEC total offense, and Alabama is number two, but the Crimson Tide has the league’s top scoring defense. Last year, Florida suffered a huge defeat at the hands of Alabama that they’d rather not repeat. During this upcoming nationally televised game, you can bet there will be lots of Florida Gators grill covers and other paraphernalia in the parking lots leading up to kick off.
Who Has the Most Team Spirit?
When it comes to showing team spirit, you can never have enough swag. There are some intense tailgating rivalries amongst fans of the same school. With all of these die-hard fans vying to have the best tailgate, it’s no wonder that sports merchandising is such a lucrative business.
At my own tailgate you can catch me in a team jersey, team pants, team hat, scarves, and gloves (when it gets colder outside). I keep my drink cold with a team koozie and my face shaded with a team tent. I even have a collection of college grill covers. There’s plenty of other fan gear I own and display proudly, too.