When I was a kid back in the 50's we went to Princeton every year. Don't even recall seeing tailgating there. I started tailgating at RU in the early 70's. The people I went to games with thought I was crazy to make them get there early to set up. We used to drive in and park at what is now the base of the yellow lit, first row, and be in position for a quick exit. Hardly anyone tailgated back then.
Tailgating scene: 20 years ago vs. The Present
- Thread starter MGSA99
- Start date
You don't do it every week. You hire an approved tailgate vendor to do it for you. If you do it right, you drop $700 per game, and just show up.
That's what we did and the food, sucked, beer was warm, and we couldn't find the guy.
Do not agree. I have been to UGA games at least 10 times over the years. First off they do not have huge fields to park in. Most places on campus you do not "tailgate" you wagon your stuff in and park your car miles away. Think about parking in NB and then moving your tailgating gear to Vorhees Mall to party. They also have parking decks in the middle of campus. , once again they need to move their stuff from the deck to areas outside.
Agreed if you are a very large booster there are some lots for you to park but the majority of tailgaters do not have that luxury. Do they have a great game day atmosphere , absolutely, the dawg walk is awesome and crowd is huge. They have a very large "bookstore" right outside the stadium and it is mobbed on game day. I also goto a lot of Texas game and their stadium is smack in austin with a major highway right next to it. Talk about traffic nightmares. Most of the common people park in strip malls that charge on game day and then walk over to campus.
We underestimate how good we have it with most of our lots close to the stadium and I am even talking about purple , black etc. We also don't realize that having separate lots helps and takes away that pro stadium feel.
Thanks! bigger and better planned for tOSU game. I sent you the pic of your RV from the PSU game.
The late 50's is when my father started taking me and my brother to the games. The Princeton tailgates were in a grassy field and were primitive compared to what we all do now. No tents, no grills, no elaborate spreads. We just ate sandwhiches off the tailgate of an old Chevrolet station wagon. My brother and I would throw a football around just like we see kids doing now. Very simple and low key. But great memories.
There was one on Washington Avenue in Green Brook (Washington evenutally runs into Stelton). The one I'm talking about was Washington Deli II, a second location in North Plainfield. It took over the space that Hoffman's had for years.
Funny how people keep talking about the fact that Rutgers has it good with all the parking fields around the stadium. My parents used to complain about have to be shuttled in from the RAC but they were used to the late 80s when we lived in Central PA going to games at TTFP. Back then, Beaver Stadium was surrounded by cow pastures.
The scene at The Grove at Ole Miss is awesome, but it's not real tailgating in my book. It's a bunch of canopies all bunched up in one specific area. In my book, there must be a tailgate involved to have a tailgate party.
THE GROVE. Cool, but not a real tailgate party (a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle).
I would love to see a Grove style set up somewhere at RU. I have no idea if it's feasible or where they would put it but I just like the set up of it. It's like a block party where you're hanging with your neighbors. Whether it meets the definition of "tailgating" makes no difference to me. I don't think the sight of cars adds anything special to the experience. As Busch gets more new buildings it might make sense to think about an area like this.
The tailgating scene at RU is night and day from 20 years ago. My buddies and I used to talk about how great it would be to see "big time" football and tailgating at RU one day. Well that day came and continues.
Oh yeah the day is coming that there will be a lot less parking close to the stadium. It's still a while off but all that Busch parking won't be there forever.
My experience with the multi day tailgates are people that either own RV's or rent them exclusively for tailgating weekends. In Baton Rouge we were a group of 20 with 2 large RV's tailgated during the day and bar hopped at night. Many tailgaters in the south use game weekend very much like people around here use the Jersey Shore. They tailgate very similar to people that rent shore houses and have groups that rent RV's, hotel rooms and party together all weekend in season.
It isn't the sight of cars that makes the difference. It is the fact that you bring your cars and supplies into the tailgate area.
Without cars, the Grove is more densely packed with people. Essentially you get twice as many tailgates into the same area since you don't need room for cars. The density is a plus for the Grove.
But the downside is that you pretty much need to hire someone else to do your tailgate for you (even if it is just hiring a couple frat kids to stake your spot and haul your stuff in on Friday night). And you are probably going to have your tailgate catered, because you are limited to what you can haul from your parking spot to the Grove on Saturday morning.
So yeah, it is a tailgate in terms of it being a pregame eating and drinking festival. But it is more of a catered party, and not a tailgate in terms of what the rest of the country thinks of, where people bring in their own supplies and food, and do their own prep and cooking.
If Rutgers want's to offer an alternative to tailgating, I would prefer that they do something similar to the Captain's BBQ at Navy. They could set up tables on the lawn between the White Lot and President's House, and have an elegant pre-game meal. If it is nice enough, my group would certainly forego our regular tailgate, and go to this event once per season. It could be a nice alternative to the standard tailgate and a source of revenue for Rutgers.
Started tailgating in the late Sixties. Went to the fields in my roommate's truck with a bucket of chicken and Tastee Subs (5's and 9's) and liquid refreshments. It isn't a tailgate unless you have a tailgate, which was our set up. Upgraded to some chairs and added cigars in the 80's.
In the 90's, expanded to bringing tables, but the menu stayed pretty much the same.
My son went to RU in the 2000's (class of 05) and insisted we upgrade. The tailgate grew with all his friends and we added tablecloths, a tent, a grill, and most importantly, a RU Gnome. We moved to Princeton, and Chucks wings replaced KFC. We added music.
The West Virginia snow game added sides to the tenn. and propane heaters.
In the 2010's, we upgraded from a generic red tent to an RU tent. Everyone brings dishes, and the sterno goes full blast.
I went in early 60's to Princeton was great, long open tables some with chaffing dishes were not uncommon. Saw my first BBQ and though it was cool to have hamburgers and hotdogs cooked at the game.
Rutgers was also good. Remember not to be out done by Princetonians we had a table w/silver chaffing dishes with silver candelabras for Homecoming. Go RU
While the physical master plan does show some reduction to the existing grass lots closest to the stadium, it also shows a huge amount of parking lots essentially surrounding the perimeter of Busch campus. Over-all it looks like a net increase of Busch parking.
The comments by PiscatawayMike, RUPete, and albanyknight are on point. My experiences at The Grove and SC's "World's Largest Cocktail Party" have left me quite unimpressed. Sure, there are groups that have their specialities like names for the tailgate or types of dishes that individuals bring in, but the majority have become nothing more than catered spaces. Meh. Everyone from a company to one of our Chartered Groups, to the everyday schmoe can get a tailgate catered if they wanted. Rutgers already has working relationships with Cedar Grove and Twin Oaks who can do setups on gameday in the lots as long as they can get to your site.
For me, the biggest change has been in the quality of the tailgates at RU. I can recall back into the 1970's and even through the late 1990's, the tailgates consisted of a couple of Tastee Subs and a six-pack from the corner liquor store on 27 and Plainfield Ave. before it became the billiards shop it is today. Today, you have much more prepared and detail-oriented tailgates. People are designated to bring certain items. Menus are discussed on Facebook through pages and direct messages of the group.
Having been one of the three/four who run Olde Queens Island in the Scarlet Lot for five years now, I can honestly say - irrespective of the lots I walk through - people who show up each gameday actually want to be there (well maybe not MrScrew). Beyond OQI, Friends of Frank, located in the Yellow Lot, and Sweet Lou's in Blue, are perfect examples of the much larger tailgates that are in place now. Another one is The Pickled Knights in Yellow and "The Chandeliers" in Scarlet.
Scarlet Pride, I would say a Grove-style atmosphere already exists within the individual lots. The difference is the atmosphere is somewhat distinctive lot-to-lot, but always Rutgers First. Just my observation.
For me, the biggest change has been in the quality of the tailgates at RU. I can recall back into the 1970's and even through the late 1990's, the tailgates consisted of a couple of Tastee Subs and a six-pack from the corner liquor store on 27 and Plainfield Ave. before it became the billiards shop it is today. Today, you have much more prepared and detail-oriented tailgates. People are designated to bring certain items. Menus are discussed on Facebook through pages and direct messages of the group.
Having been one of the three/four who run Olde Queens Island in the Scarlet Lot for five years now, I can honestly say - irrespective of the lots I walk through - people who show up each gameday actually want to be there (well maybe not MrScrew). Beyond OQI, Friends of Frank, located in the Yellow Lot, and Sweet Lou's in Blue, are perfect examples of the much larger tailgates that are in place now. Another one is The Pickled Knights in Yellow and "The Chandeliers" in Scarlet.
Scarlet Pride, I would say a Grove-style atmosphere already exists within the individual lots. The difference is the atmosphere is somewhat distinctive lot-to-lot, but always Rutgers First. Just my observation.
This. The Busch campus faculty/staff, apartment/dorm residents, and student commuters need to park somewhere.
Up to now, it has been what is the Black/Silver/Tan/Light Blue/Purple lots for the former, and Scarlet Lot for the latter.
MrsScrew, did your crew leave a medium sized white cooler after you left? We found it behind the tree you were set up next to after Saturday's game. I can get it to you folks before the next game if needed or i'll just bring for you at OSU. I'd send a direct message but I cannot figure out for the life of me how to start a convo using the option in the upper right.
I know we left the Styrofoam one, which had raw shellfish in it so we don't want/need it back. I'll ask everyone but I don't think it's ours. thanks for looking out for us though!
That's ours. Thanks for grabing it. We'll be there early for OSU. Mrs. Screw knows how to find us. We had the pig last week. Just look for the Free Beer Tomorrow Flag. Thanks! Owe you a drink!
I'll try to load in truck with bungees. It'll also have the full 16 oz can of Red Bull that was left in it.
Why would you want curtains for your tailgate? Sounds like you'd be very "closed in." I get it maybe if it's raining, but on a nice day, I can't imagine wanting to feel like I'm "inside."
I know I've gotten a lot more elaborate thru the past 12 years...Starting out just cooking basic burgers and dogs...to now I'm actually texting not only with my crew, but also the groups on either side of us trading ideas and recipes...We actually theme our tailgates to the opponents... To us, its not a game anymore..its a whole day event!!
Even if the parking lot space remains the same the stadium size will not. Add 10,000 more seats and there's no places for those people to park near the stadium. It might be time for a land swap with the County. Rutgers Golf Course for a large chunk of Johnson park across from the Stadium.
. The curtains are only for each of the tent legs. Not closed in at all & very similar to photos I've seen of the Grove. And @RU4Real is right, valances would just look dumb.
Gosh good memories. I remembered 20 or 21 years ago buying italian subs at Stelton Pizza and coming to the game two hours early and meeting some friends in the lot which at the time was the white lot, now the yellow lot across from the now white lot. Unreal how time has flied and things have changed.
A
A very good golf course that generates revenue and is home to two of our NCAA teams for a flood prone piece of worthless land? No thanks.
Plenty of parking on Livingston for football
A very good golf course that generates revenue and is home to two of our NCAA teams for a flood prone piece of worthless land? No thanks.
Plenty of parking on Livingston for football
When I was a freshman in 1983 we would take a tailgate car over the night before and park it on the grass across the street from the scarlet walk. Then we could show up whenever and have our spot. Free parking by the way. Cops never bothered us for drinking. Could even leave the car until Sunday.
The scene was pretty good. We played a decent schedule pre big east.
The scene was pretty good. We played a decent schedule pre big east.
My lord Homecoming '92, the VTech downpour/comeback game, we were in the 1st row of the Yellow Lot, with a "box van," drinking out of beer balls we ripped the tops off of (no "taps" allowed), and doing mud slides into the empty garbage/recyclable containers, as maybe 5 rows filled up until the last 30 minutes before KO. Nobody wore red - aside from me - and as few wore anything that said "Rutgers" on it. The VT fans, on the other hand, were light years ahead of us.
Anyway, I'm not sure ANY tailgate scene, in the history of tailgating, has ever seen a transformation like the one we've seen in Piscataway, not even since then, but since, maybe, 2001.
Anyway, I'm not sure ANY tailgate scene, in the history of tailgating, has ever seen a transformation like the one we've seen in Piscataway, not even since then, but since, maybe, 2001.
LOL, Nuts......you hit the nail on the head. Back in my era no one wore red. In fact we were playing Miami and I was wearing a grey sweatshirt. My fried says 'you know we are playing Miami today, right?' I had to take my University of Miami sweatshirt off and turn it inside out!!!
Strange - that's the year my group started tailgating.... Huh... What a strange coincidence.
See you Saturday? You haven't seen my newest addition.
I was "tailgating" long before that, actually, in Scarlet with my dad for years until I got to RU, met people, made friends, blah, blah, blah!
Yeah, I'll swing by early (well, early in "our" day, lol..), maybe 2'ish. Shoot me a text!
remember when everyone just had those tiny propane grills that were a bitch to light if it was windy
remember the big crackdown on underage drinking for homecoming. I think it was 1990 or 91
remember the big crackdown on underage drinking for homecoming. I think it was 1990 or 91
yup...Bud Heilmann....he's the one who had the BOG pass the "no tap" regulation! That being said, for my crew, well, it was good to have a male cheerleader - for a long time - as a friend who carried a very large duffle bag into the stadium LOL! Made up for having to pour beer out of those damn beer balls!
