Hey Eli Manning, and all your friends that you have never met, I have to say that you guys rock right now.
The next Ole Miss mascot? (By Dr. Venkman)
According to plenty of sources, your favorite Rebel Alliance leader, Admiral Ackbar is the front runner to become the new Ole Miss mascot. Check out notatrap.org if you don’t believe me.
To give you a little bit of context on who the good admiral is and why he definitely should be the new mascot on Saturdays: he stands 1.8 meters tall and comes from the planet of Mon Calamari. He was born 44 years before the Battle of Yavin (when Luke Skywalker blew up the first Death Star) and died 29 years after the epic skirmish (that is 73 years).
Ackbar, who developed the B-Wing Class Starfighter, served as the Supreme Commander of the Rebal Alliance for 19 years and commanded the Rebel Fleet at the Battle of Endor from his ship Home One. The battle saw the evil Emperor Palpatine defeated and his greatest weapons – Darth Vader, The Second Death Star, and the Super Star Destroyer Executor – destroyed.
Another warning from the Admiral. (By Dr. Venkman)
Apart from the on-screen cannon, Ackbar was played by Timothy M. Rose in Return of the Jedi and was voiced by Erik Boauersfield in the movie.
There is simply no leader better to represent the Rebels from Ole Miss.
Thanks to Wookiepedia.org, my large geeky/dorky brain, and the Internet Movie Database for this information.
Since I started this site a few months ago I’ve been brainstorming on a way to get the site more exposure in a fun and unique way. The conclusion of how I plan to do this serves three purposes:
1) Get more exposure for the site in order to bring more visitors
2) Allows fans to participate on the site by showing their support for their favorite team and That Fan
3) Raise money for Make-A-Wish Foundation (more on this below)
What I’m asking for readers and supporters to do, is take a picture of them holding a sign that says “I am That Fan” in their team colors. As an added bonus, take the pictures under the following conditions:
1) At the site of your favorite team with the stadium/arena/field, etc. in the background
2) With a famous athletes/coaches/celebrities/cheerleaders/mascots, etc.
3) At various U.S. and/or world landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, Great Wall of China, etc.
There can be as many or as few people in the picture as you wish, and the sign can be as big or as small as you wish (as long as you can read the writing). You are encouraged to be decked out in your team’s colors, and you are allowed to put other decorations and writing on the sign.
How will this help raise money for Make-A-Wish you ask? That Fan will be donating money for every picture we post on the site (trust me, if you follow the directions above, your picture WILL get posted). I am going to start it off at $1.00 per picture posted, but that amount may change over time. Remember, this is money out of our pocket we are donating, you don’t have to donate a thing! Maybe a company out there would like to take the opportunity to match any donation?
I will take all of the money we donate, and with your help, pick a child to grant a wish along with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Many of these young kids’ are huge sports fans, and sometimes their wishes are to meet their favorite athletes from the favorite teams, and that is the specific type of wish we will work to help grant.
I will make some sort of section on the sidebar that keeps a running track of money That Fan has raised/donated to date for all to see, and there will be other ways to help raise money for this cause that I will announce over the coming weeks. For now, all you need to worry about is taking a picture and sending it in, and That Fan will do the rest!
There aren’t many other ways as easy as this to have some fun supporting your favorite team and raise money for a good cause at the same time, so we hope you take advantage of it. Here are the first few pictures so that you can see some examples.
The first picture is one I was lucky enough to get from none other than Jenn Brown herself, along with her ESPNU Road Trip co-host, Drubner. They took the picture from the field of the Georgia Dome after this year’s SEC Championship, and no, it is not photo-shopped!
The next picture comes from outside of Autzen Stadium in Oregon (special thanks to Jeremy!):
The last example comes from Brutus the Buckeye!
Three pictures equals our first $3.00 being donated to Make-A-Wish…it is that easy! If you want any guidance or ideas for pictures, please let us know.
Sebastian from “The U” is leading the Capital One Mascot of the Year contest once again. He was in first place this time about a month ago and has jumped back to the top of the pack. I believe this is the last week to vote before the playoffs, where only the top 8 advance. Click HERE to vote.
This week’s edition of ESPN College Gameday was in Colorado Springs for the Air Force/Army game, and I was very impressed with the crowd and the signage. This was the third Gameday broadcast from Air Force, the last being in 2002. Wondering why they chose Air Force rather than Ohio St./Penn St. and LSU/Bama? ESPN did this as part of their continuing tribute to the United States armed forces, and kudos to ESPN for doing so. On behalf of That Fan I also want to thank all military personnel out there for all you do.
A few observations from this week: 1) The guest picker was Lt. Colonel Scott “Spike” Thomas, an all-American safety at Air Force in 1985. Spike’s plane was shot down in Iraq in the original Gulf War. 2) Jenn Brown was back again and yes, she’s still pretty damn hot. 3) No one won this week’s That Fan contest, so we will try again next week. 4) There were quite a few guys proposing to their significant other via a Gameday sign.
Now let’s move onto the best signs of the day. With this being a rivalry game there were obviously a lot of signs slamming the other team, but it sure is odd seeing signs making fun of the armed forces. First up, lets start with all the rivalry signs:
"The Good (Air Force), The Bad (Navy), The Ugly (Army)"
Again, this is very odd posting signs that say these types of things but if our armed forces can make the signs, I figured I could at least post them…
"Bomb Army"
"Hey Army: We're gonna pound you into the ground!"
"E.S.P.N.: Air Force, fixin' Army's problems since 1947"
Double bonus here with the sign and the website. Be sure to thank our troops and visit www.ourmilitary.mil:
I think this was an Army guy making fun of Air Force grammar…I think:
"Me like planes"
This is a two-sign combo, comparing Steve Urkel to Air Force linebacker Andre Morris (click here for a better Morris picture). Has anyone seen both of these guys in the same room at the same time?:
"The Good Urkel, The Bad A$$ Morris"
Another two sign combo, this time a serious version:
"Two teams, one nation" & "Thank you soldiers! College Gameday, Veteran's day, EVERYDAY!"
As much as civilians thank the armed forces, they would like to show some love back:
"Thank you TAXPAYERS!"
I wish I could have gotten a full shot of this one:
"E.S.P.N.: Taxpayer Dollars Pay My Tuition!"
Air Force fans wanted Corso to pick them…
"Lee, flip us the bird"
…and he did just that:
]
Lastly, I’ve got to show the Washington State flags flying proudly…special story on this to come this week:
That’s all the signs from today’s episode. Be sure to check back today or tomorrow for the poll to vote for your favorite sign of the week. I’ll put together a survey at the end of the year for people to select the best sign of the year. If you didn’t vote for last week’s sign yet, you can do so HERE.
Lastly, I want to remind everyone that I am starting a contest where those of you who couldn’t make it to Gameday can still show off your signs to fans around the world. Use the template below and photoshop or edit your message. Click HERE to learn more details on how to enter the contest!
Uhhhh…who??!! Don’t forget to stop by Capital One’s Mascot of the Year site to vote. There are only 2 weeks left to help your favorite advance. The top 8 then advance to the playoffs. Currently, Jack Rabbit from South Dakota State is in the lead, although all mascots but two have more total votes than him. I’m not saying this contest is rigged, but something odd seems to be going on here. Click HERE to vote.
**Editor’s note: getting crazy traffic right now thanks to the link on SI.com. Be sure to bookmark That Fan, we do a College Gameday sign review every week! You can also follow us on Twitter (@ThatFan) which will update you when new articles are posted.** Voting for the best sign from this week can be done HERE.
This week’s edition of ESPN College Gameday was in Oregon for the USC/Oregon game, and the crowd definitely did not disappoint. The show started at 7am PT and there might have been more fans at that time than any other broadcast this year; amazing considering it was still dark outside. The only bad thing about having such a large crowd was that there were a ton of signs that couldn’t really be viewed well on TV because they were so far back in the crowd.
A few observations from this week: 1) Again, I saw two Washington State flags (one maroon, one white) in the crowd. Big shot out to their fans because I haven’t seen one episode this year where there weren’t two WSU flags, and I haven’t seen any other schools with that kind of support. 2) Phil Knight, CEO of Nike and big Oregon booster was the guest picker, and surprise surprise, he picked the Ducks. 3) Jenn Brown was back and she is still drop dead gorgeous (more on this later). 4) No one won this week’s That Fan contest, so we will try again next week. 5) I couldn’t get a good shot of it, but there was a sign advertising the website www.BCSbusters.com. Figured I’d help them get the word out. Now onto the signs I could get (it was still dark out for the first hour of the show, so some of the pictures won’t be great quality):
Lee Corso’s illegitimate son made the trip to Eugene:
"Lee Corso Is My Father"
I take back what I said earlier about the Oregon crowd showing Oregon State love:
"Gameday Visits: Eugene - 4, Corvallis - 0"
This next sign offers a spin on Charles Barkley’s TV show with Hank Haney, The Haney Project:
"Not even The Haney Project can save this Barkley's game!"
It wouldn’t be Oregon with out references to getting “Ducked Up”"
"Mom, I'm ducked up on quack"
"USC Get Ducked Up!!"
What are the odds this guy was drunk?:
"I Love Scotch"
I’m not sure who Superman is on this sign but my guess is either Dwight Howard or Desmond Howard (in case you have no clue what this sign means, its a play on the Soulja Boy song):
"Superman that O"
This one isn’t a sign and you could barely see it, but apparently someone be-headed a Trojan and brought the bloody head on a stake:
Not a sign, but a bloddy Trojan head on a stick
This one needs no introduction:
"doUSCebag"
Not sure of the point, but if you really want to do it then be my guest:
"We'll pee on USC"
Matt Barkley, you should be ashamed of yourself!:
"Matt Barkley reads Twilight"
What would a College Gameday held at a stadium playing against USC be without some good-natured Trojan/condom humor?:
"Trojans R Just Holloweeners"
This next one references Oregon’s Ed Dickson:
"Trojans can't handle our DICKson"
"Trojans have leaky defense"
"E.S.P.N. - Wet Ducks Prefer Magnums"
"Trojans: We use them once then throw them away!"
"Trojans break at Autzen"
Probably my personal favorite for funniest sign of the week:
"Warning: Trojans ineffective against the spread of-fense...and crabs!"
That’s all for the signs this week. Be sure to check back today or tomorrow for the poll to vote for your favorite sign of the week. I’ll put together a survey at the end of the year for people to select the best sign of the year. If you didn’t vote for last week’s sign yet, you can do so HERE.
Did anyone see when Oregon head coach Chip Kelly was walking through the crowd with the duck mascot head on? When he took it off, the guy next to him tried to kiss him. Oregon fans, if you know this guy, please let him know this wasn’t what Chad Ochocinco meant by “Kiss the Baby”:
Quality football coaches are great, but not THAT great...
Jenn Brown did make an appearance on College Gameday this week. She did a great segment that talks about how Matt Barkley handles crowd noise at away games (which I did a similar feature on). Click HERE to see her segment. Here are a few pictures of her enjoying her time at the stadium:
Pre-game on the field
Interviewing USC head coach Pete Carroll
On the field for pregame stretches
With the Oregon cheerleaders
Lastly, here is the video of Lee Corso picking Oregon to beat USC. Pay special attention to the guy on his right as he gets onto the motorcycle…he is emphatically excited about throwing the shocker symbol.
Don’t forget to stop by Capital One’s Mascot of the Year site to vote. There are only 3 more weeks left to help your favorite advance. The top 8 then advance to the playoffs. Currently, Bearcat from the University of Cincinnati is in the lead, although there are 4 other contenders that have more total votes than him. Click HERE to vote.
College Gameday was located in Provo Utah today, home of the big game between BYU and TCU. This game is the only matchup today pitting two teams against each other that are both ranked in the top 25 of the BCS standings, and it should be a good one. This game is actually going to be on the Versus network and not an ESPN affiliated network, and ESPN deserves a lot of credit for doing the show at Provo. Usually they are on site at one of the larger games that ESPN has each week in order to help promote, but today they went a different route.
First, I have to give a lot of love and credit to the BYU fans. I wasn’t sure how a Provo crowd would be, but they impressed me and might have had the best/rowdiest/loudest Gameday crowd all year. However, I will say that it was kind of odd seeing all those “I Love My Mom/Mommy/Dad/Daddy” signs. It seemed like I saw 10 of them…did anyone else find that odd or is it just me?
Three other Gameday observations: 1) I think I’ve seen at least two Washington State flags on Gameday every week of the season so far. 2) Unfortunately there was no Jenn Brown this week. 3) The celebrity guest picker this week was former BYU football coach (and stadium namesake) Lavelle Edwards.
On to the best signs of the day. At least they have something to brag about:
BYU may be #16 in football, but we are #1 in Accounting!
In case this guy’s mother is reading, he needs money:
Send $ Mom
Apparently TCU’s quarterback has a dirty little secret:
Andy Dalton loves The Bachelor
There were a lot of BCS complaints and calls for a college football playoff. Couldn’t get a great shot of this first one:
BCS Formula: 1 part C and 2 parts B.S.
A playoff, isn't it about time? (Yes, That Fan believes so)
Speaking of playoffs and getting rid of the BCS, there is actually a political group that has been formed to get rid of the BCS, Playoff PAC. Their website is http://PlayoffPAC.com and is shown in the signs below:
BCS: Bribery, Corruption, Scandal. Playoffpac.com
Beat the BCS. Save College Football. Playoffpac.com
This next sign deserves some pub. My team of choice is in the Big East, and I personally feel the Big East is a better top to bottom conference than the MWC, but the man makes a good argument:
Consecutive Weeks Ranked in the Top 25: BYU-29, TCU-17, Big East-7. Where's the MWC Autobid?
BYU doing a little tweaking of the Boise State logo:
Donkey State
Quality sign here (and there’s one of those weird we love our mom signs I talked about earlier):
Your Mascot's a frog (and its purple)
I’m a HUGE Jim Rome fan (yes, I’m a clone) so I had to post this one:
Hey TCU, in the words of Jim Rome: "Goodnight NOW!!!"
I feel bad for this poor guys wife (wives?), but he gets a vote for That Fan of the week:
I left my wife in the delivery room to be here
And finally, what good is a College Gameday in Provo without some harmless Mormon-related humor?:
D-Day: The Invasion of Mormandy
Mormons eat frog eyes in their jello salad (kinda odd, but hey, whatever works)
Lastly, the Mormon opinion of Texas Christian University’s mascot:
Horny Toads aren't even CHRISTIAN!
That’s all for the signs but I do want to share a couple videos that I just had to post on YouTube. The first is of Lee Corso talking about Arkansas “shooting their wads”. Watch how Kirk asks him if he can say that on TV and then can’t stop laughing:
And last but not least, an amazing switcharoo by Lee Corso at the end…hilarious!
That’s all for this week. I’ll have a poll up soon for you to vote for your favorite sign (or you can just leave a comment now!) so be sure to check back! Enjoy your football weekend fellow fans!
Don’t forget to stop by Capital One’s Mascot of the Year site to vote. There are only 4 more weeks left to help your favorite advance. The top 8 then advance to the playoffs. Currently Big Red from Western Kentucky University is in the lead, although he has more votes than only 2 of the other 11 contenders. Click HERE to vote.
Don’t forget to stop by Capital One’s Mascot of the Year site to vote. There are only 5 more weeks left to help your favorite advance. The top 8 then advance to the playoffs. Currently Sebastian from the University of Miami is in the lead, although Big Red from Western Kentucky is right on his tail (no pun intended). Click HERE to vote.
Posted by Ben Meyers 
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