A couple weeks ago That Fan introduced the world to Bill Sproat, AKA Shirtless Bill AKA Wild Bill. We aren’t saying we are the only ones who knew about Bill, but we are the site that got the word out and took his story national. Bill was amazing enough to do an interview with That Fan in between harassing opposing players during free throws, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed doing it. We also want to congratulate Bill on winning “That Fan of the Month” for February 2010! In the next couple days we will be providing a statistical breakdown of the Utah State opponents during games Bill was in costume. For now, sit back and enjoy the view!
Shirtless Bill in his Little Mermaid outfit, with an "I am That Fan" sign!
That Fan:
Before we get started, give me some information about yourself.
Shirtless Bill:
My name is Bill Sproat and I’m a red-shirt junior liberal arts major at Utah State University. Most people call me Wild Bill.
That Fan:
How and when did the Shirtless Bill persona get started?
Shirtless Bill:
It all got started last season. I actually hate basketball and hadn’t been to a game, but I have a good friend on the team who finally talked me into going. Another friend of mine sits in the front row and saved me a seat. During one of the games last year I decided to take my shirt off. Last season it was just me with my shirt off and basketball shorts…no costumes.
That Fan:
Have you seen the Duke speedo guy who used to do something similar?
Shirtless Bill:
I had never seen it before I started taking my shirt off at games but I looked it up after someone told me to watch it. Remember, I’m not a college basketball fan so I hadn’t heard about it. Someone had told me to watch it and that I should wear a speedo, but I don’t want to copy off of him, I’d rather do something original.
That Fan:
Can you list all of the costumes you’ve had?
Shirtless Bill:
My very first costume was as a Chippendales dancer. I’ve also done Nacho Libre, a Pirate, a snorkler, cupid, a Mardi Gras outfit, a hula girl, Peter Pan, and the little mermaid.
That Fan:
How do you come up with your costume ideas?
Shirtless Bill:
People are always asking me to do certain costumes but most of them I come up with myself. My best friends help me a lot and came up with pirate idea.
That Fan:
You’ve only got a few home games left…can you reveal any of your future ideas?
Shirtless Bill:
I don’t know even know what I will do yet. The cupid idea came about an hour before I got to the arena. Some of them are planned a couple days in advance but most of them are done right before the game.
That Fan:
So will you continue to do this next year?
Shirtless Bill:
Yeah, I probably will!
That Fan:
Have any of the opposing players ever reacted to you? Spoke to you? Laughed at you? Cussed you out?
Shirtless Bill:
A lot of the opposing players laugh. I’ve also figured out that if they laugh while they’re at the free throw line they usually miss at least one. I have never had a guy look at me and laugh and then make both free throws.
That Fan:
So you feel it has actually impacted players shooting free throws?
Shirtless Bill:
It definitely makes an impact but I’m not sure how much. The impact is obviously not enough to win a championship, but it may impact one or two points per game.
That Fan:
Have any players/coaches from Utah State said anything to you about what you do? What about anyone from the school’s administration?
Shirtless Bill:
The athletic director told me a few weeks ago that I had to calm it down because people were complaining. I was upset so I stopped going to the games. One of my friends on the team told me that the team wants me there so I started coming back. The AD hasn’t said anything since, and I try to get the costumes approved with him beforehand.
That Fan:
Tell me about the procedure of getting dressed in whatever costume you choose for the night.
Shirtless Bill:
I don’t get into costume until the second half when the opposing team is shooting on my side of the court. Only a couple people know what I’m going to do. The cheer-leading coach lets me go into her office at halftime to change.
That Fan:
What has all the publicity that you have gotten the past couple weeks been like?
Shirtless Bill:
It was cool that Sportscenter.com contacted me for an interview. I get recognized more when I’m out eating and people I don’t know will come up and talk to me. I’ve had little kids ask for autographs sometimes. I’ve even had companies approach me saying they want to advertise on my belly.
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Special thanks to Bill for doing this interview. Be on the lookout for the Shirtless Bill statistical analysis in the coming days, and in the meantime, check out this website that is dedicated to Bill: http://youwantbill.com
Ask any University of Southern California football player or coach who the #1 fan of the USC Trojans is and you will undoubtedly get one name: Jake Olson. Many of you have likely seen Jake’s inspirational story on ESPN over the past couple months.
Jake is a twelve year old seventh-grader who has lost his vision in both eyes due to cancer. When he was very young he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a condition that causes cancerous tumors around the retina, in both eyes. His left eye was removed at a very young age but the doctors fortunately saved his right eye, which Jake has used to form his everlasting vision of this world.
The cancer came back on eight separate occasions and each time Jake would beat it, until this past September when he was informed that the treatment didn’t work. Jake would soon have his right eye removed as well.
For more information on his touching story watch the ESPN video clip below:
I was fortunate enough to chat with Jake about a number of topics after congratulating him on winning January’s “That Fan of the Month” award. Here’s a rundown of my interview with Jake:
That Fan:
First off, how long have you been a football fan, and what made you become a fan of USC?
Jake Olson:
My dad went to USC for his master’s degree and as soon as I could understand football he starting telling me all about USC football, and I’ve liked them ever since.
That Fan:
Favorite USC quarterback: Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, Mark Sanchez, or Matt Barkley?
Jake Olson:
It’s definitely Matt Barkley.
That Fan:
What other sports, teams, and athletes do you like besides USC?
Jake Olson:
Football is probably my second favorite sport behind golf, and my favorite golfer is probably Jack Nicklaus. I also like basketball and my favorite team is the Lakers. I’m a big fan of Kobe Bryant and actually got to meet him before I went blind. He gave me his shoes and autographed them for me. My favorite NFL team would be the Bears, and my favorite player for them is probably Brian Urlacher. I also like baseball and used to play. My favorite team is the Angels and my favorite player was Chone Figgins, but unfortunately he went to Seattle like Pete Carroll. I also love to swim.
That Fan:
Speaking of Coach Carroll and Seattle, what are your thoughts on that situation?
Jake Olson:
I think he really wanted to go back to the NFL, and this might have been his last chance, so he jumped all over it. It was the best thing for his family and we all want to do what’s best for our families. I’ll still support him and hope that we can keep in contact.
That Fan:
Have you talked to Coach Carroll since he gave the news?
Jake Olson:
Not yet, but he is supposed to call me. I still talk to a lot of the players though.
That Fan:
What was it like to meet Coach Carroll and all the players?
Jake Olson:
It was amazing and I’m really thankful that I got to meet them. Just hanging out with them took the burden off my back. I felt like I didn’t have to worry about anything else in life because when I was with them I didn’t have a worry in the world. It was really cool.
That Fan:
If there is one favorite vision in your memory of USC football that you will keep with you forever, what is it?
Jake Olson:
The day before my surgery I got to blow the last blow-horn at practice. Jeff Byers and Butch Lewis came behind me and put me on their shoulders and brought me to where the team was huddled up. Pete was talking to all the guys and told me to come back after my surgery, which was real cool.
That Fan:
You’ve become somewhat of a celebrity the last month or two…what has that been like?
Jake Olson:
It’s been really cool. People come up to me and tell me that my story has inspired them which is great. I just want to help people overcome their challenges and help change lives. One of the reasons I wrote my book is to inspire little kids with cancer.
That Fan:
I’ve heard about this book, can you tell me more about it?
Jake Olson:
It’s called “My Life with Cancer Holding Jesus’ Hand”. It’s basically about how I’ve gotten through the cancer with God and Jesus by my side. I wrote it to help give other kids hope and let them know that everything is going to be okay.
That Fan:
I also hear you’re coming out with a second book?
Jake Olson:
Yea, my dad and I are working on it. It’s basically a story about how our family got through our situation. I will give stories about things that have happened to me and some of the book will be based on my dad’s perspective.
That Fan:
What are your goals for the future?
Jake Olson:
I want to be a professional golfer when I grow up. I want to be the first blind person to win the Masters.
That Fan:
So you golf now?
Jake Olson:
Yeah, I do. Right now I’m getting lessons and if you have the right mechanics everything works out, and I actually play pretty well. I typically shoot between an 88 and a 92, so I try to play bogey golf.
That Fan:
Do you have any final words for all of your fans out there?
Jake Olson:
First of all, Fight On (USC fight song), and if someone faces adversity, stick with it and everything will be okay. Even with the Trojans, they need to stick with it, and with their new coach they’ll be okay.
****
Getting the opportunity to interview Jake was an awesome experience and I hope he continues to tell his story. The family is having a website set up so that people can order a copy of his book. They just ask for a $10 donation which will go towards the hospital that Jake stayed at during his procedures. As soon as they pass the website address along we will let everyone know.
Speaking of donations, Jake was kind enough to add another “I Am That Fan” picture to the site, so we will donate another $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation fund (click HERE to read more about this effort). Thanks again to Jake and the rest of the Olson family!
Jake Olson and his twin sister, Emma, along with their pets
Every month That Fan likes to honor a certain fanatic who goes above and beyond your average fan. This month That Fan salutes the life of Tim McKernan.
For over 25 years, Tim McKernan was iconic with Denver Broncos football just like the yellow Terrible Towels were in Pittsburgh, and the Dawg Pound was in Cleveland. Tim was known by admirers as “Barrel Man” after making a $10 bet with his brother, Scott, in 1977 that he could find a way to get on television at a Denver home game. To inflate his odds of being spotted among the 50,000 plus fans, Tim attended the bone-chilling cold game wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, a barrel with suspenders and little else…It’s safe to say that he came home $10 richer, and the legend of “Barrel Man” was born. His legend was so big in Denver that they even created a bobble head of his likeness.
Chances are Tom Pounds will never be a household name, although in my eyes he should be. As all you faithful readers know, I like to recognize fans for going above and beyond and being That Fan. Tom Pounds is about as good of an example that I have come across, and that is why he is That Fan of the Month for November 2009.
So who is Tom Pounds you ask? Let me walk you through how I found him…when I started this blog about a month ago, my goal was to write about a side of sports that you can’t get elsewhere, the sports fan. You can go to a million sites to talk sports, but where can you visit a site that focuses solely on fans? One of the best scenes of amazing fans is on Saturday morning College Gameday broadcasts. I’ve always watched College Gameday, but only after starting this blog did I start watching it in extreme detail, including all of the scenery in the background (signs, flags, hand gestures, etc.).
As I started covering the show for That Fan, I noticed I was seeing two Washington State flags at every broadcast. It didn’t matter what school the show was at, those flags were there. I was completely fascinated by this, because let’s be honest, Washington State hasn’t really had a great program lately. I mentioned the flags on a few of my posts and thankfully a reader pointed out that there was a fan out there who had been organizing this to happen. I immediately did my research, found out the tradition was started by Tom Pounds, and reached out to him for an interview which he agreed to. This weekend will mark the 87th consecutive broadcast that the Washington State flags have been flying on Gameday, an amazing accomplishment. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed doing it. My goal is to get this amazing story out for all fans to read!
That Fan: How did you become a Washington State fan and how long have you been cheering on the Cougars? Tom Pounds: I am a WSU alum from the class of 1981. I have been a fan since I was a kid.
That Fan: What was the first time you had the WSU flags present at a Gameday and why did you decide to start the tradition? Tom Pounds: The first time I did the College Gameday show was Oct 4, 2003. I knew the show was going to be in Austin that Saturday and I was going to be there visiting relatives. 2 weeks later a Coug fan in Minneapolis asked me to ship him the flag and he drove 300+ miles to the show in Madison, WI. A week later a guy in Olympia, WA volunteered his daughter to do the show in Bowling Green. After that, I just kept finding people to ship the flag to, week after week. From Madison, on, it has been 87 shows in-a-row (as of 11/14/09). Why? There is a phrase known to WSU fans and alums alike, “It’s a Coug thing”. We WSU fans and alums have been known for some crazy things on campus.
That Fan: Has anyone from College Gameday ever contacted you about the streak and what you do? Tom Pounds: Several Northwest newspapers picked up on the story in 2003 and 2004 — I had several interviews. USA Today did a story on the flag last year. ESPN also interviewed me on camera last year:
That Fan: I’m sure you’ve seen the WSU flag commercial for Gameday (shown below), did they contact you before they did the commercial? What did you think when you first saw it?
Tom Pounds: Yes I’ve seen it. Several Coug fans got to see an advance copy of the promo a week before it supposedly aired. A friend of my brother says he has seen it on-the-air, but I haven’t seen it except on Youtube and in the advance-viewing. I didn’t have anything to do with ESPN making the promo, but I absolutely love it!
That Fan: College Gameday’s Twitter account said a new Washington State flag commercial would be unveiled this week at College Gameday. Do you know anything about it that you can share? Tom Pounds: I don’t know anything about a new commercial, nor have I seen any advance viewings of anything new.
That Fan: Do people travel to each site or do you typically find someone who lives in the location of where Gameday is being taped? Tom Pounds: Typically fans and alums live within 50 miles of where the show is being broadcast that week. This year, the exception has been the show at Penn State. The WSU grad/Penn State grad student who was there, had graduated. New York city and New Jersey Cougs had to drive 250 miles to cover it (my Pittsburgh guys were nowhere to be found either).
That Fan: How do you find people in other cities? For instance, if a school is getting a broadcast for the first time, do you have to track someone down or will people reach out to you wanting to do it? Tom Pounds: Back in 2003 and 2004 finding people was difficult. Other than the first 2 weeks in-a-row (as mentioned before), I used a network of Coug alums and fans from the Scout.com sports board: Cougfan.com. It was strictly by word-of-mouth and through Cougfan that I found people to do the shows. Some people had to drive hundreds of miles to get to the shows. Eventually I got a ‘critical mass’ of WSU alums and fans on my list but even in 2005 some weeks I was ’sweating it out’ on late Thursday (deadline to ship overnight to Friday). Last year and this year WSU fans are e-mailing me ahead of time wanting to wave the flags on the show. I now have (at latest count) 134 people on my list in just about every city ESPN normally goes to. Sometimes the WSU alumni office will assist in finding someone, but that’s rare that I have to ask for help.
That Fan: Are the flag carriers always Washington State fans or are they people who have agreed to help you out? Tom Pounds: I’d say 90% of the flag-wavers are WSU alums. Certainly the other 10% are *fans* of what we do. Some regular flag-wavers are actually alums of other schools.
That Fan: Are you ever worried someone is secretly a Washington fan looking to sabotage you? Tom Pounds: Back in 2003 and 2004, sabotage was always a concern. Through 2005, 2006, and 2007 not so much, as I had my crew of regulars doing the shows. As the effort gained popularity and more people asked to be put on the list, I started to worry more about sabotage, again. The WSU alumni office will verify anyone claiming to be an alum and I have used this service many times. Other fan websites (scout.com, rivals.com etc. — for the school hosting Gameday) will always post about the CGD show coming to their school. Reading those threads is very telling. I have read posts of host school fans plotting against the WSU flag, but in every case they are chastised by the majority of the others on that board.
That Fan: Is there anything else in it for the flag carriers other than knowing they are a part of the streak? Do you pay them or do they get to keep the flags? Tom Pounds: Everyone who does the show and waves the WSU flag is a volunteer. An organization called the Ol’ Crimson Booster Club, a grassroots organization of WSU alums and fans collects money to pay for shipping costs, but if someone has to travel more than about 100 miles we will pay for their gas. Doing the show is a great experience.
That Fan: What is your typical week of preparation like in getting the flags there for Gameday, starting with when you find out where the show will be located? Tom Pounds: My typical week for getting the flags on the show starts with reading the ESPN site late Sunday afternoon to find out where they will be the following Saturday. Keep in mind — even the ESPN producers do not generally know where the show will be more than 6 days in advance. Once I know where they will be, I look on my list to see who is in that city (or geographic area) and I send out e-mails. Sometimes I will make a phone call, too. Usually, by Monday I have a name of someone who is available to do the show. Back in 2003 and 2004, “Usually”, was Thursday — talk about stress! Once I have a name (and address), I simply pass that information to the person who has the flags. This comes as a standard set of instructions for how to fill out a FedEx Airbill, complete with the account number. The flags usually arrive at the next person’s home by Friday afternoon and they take them to the show the next morning. FedEx hasn’t failed us, yet.
That Fan: I think I read somewhere that you make the flags, is that true? Tom Pounds: Like I said before, the first flag was hand-made by my mom (visiting at the time). All the rest of the flags have been hand sewn by my wife, Syndie (who passed away last January).
That Fan: How many sets of your flags are out there? Tom Pounds: There is one set of flags, only: a burgundy/crimson nylon flag, a white nylon flag, and a commercial nylon flag (donated by the WSU book store in 2003). In addition there is a cloth flag for autographs. Some of the past flags have been retired but replaced with newer identical ones. 3 have been lost in transition — 1 off the back of a pickup truck; two fallen out of a broken shipping tube.
That Fan: How much money do you spend on doing this? Tom Pounds: Back in 2003 a non-profit corporation was set up in Washington to raise money and distribute funds for this effort. WSU fans have donated thousands of dollars over the years to keep this thing going. Our annual budget is approximately $2,500.00. That includes all shipping costs, things like new flagpoles, material for new flags, and paying for some people’s travel expense. Remember that guy who volunteered his daughter to go to Bowling Green? He’s the one who set up the corporation — the Ol’ Crimson Booster Club.
That Fan: You seem to be quite the Washington State celebrity. Does anyone from the school administration ever reach out to you? Tom Pounds: The WSU AD asked me to speak at 2 fundraisers earlier this year. I also spoke at a fund-raiser in 2004. The athletic department wants me to help set up a web site with information on the flag.
That Fan: How long do you envision keeping this going? Tom Pounds: My immediate goal is to see the flag present at 100 CGD shows in-a-row. This will happen next year. After that I would like to see ESPN bring the show to Pullman, WA. Even then there isn’t any real reason to quit. I might have someone else take over if I get tired of doing the organizing.
That was a great interview. If any of you have additional questions for him, let me know and I will try and get them answered. If you’d like to donate money to the cause you can find more info HERE. I’m looking forward to seeing if a new WSU flag commercial is unveiled this week on Gameday. Tom – you ‘da man!
A recurring theme of this site with be a contest awarded to “That Fan of the Month”. This will be awarded to the fan who goes above and beyond, answers the call of duty, and emphatically lets the world know that he is his team’s #1 fan. I’m going to start this off as a monthly award, but as new readers venture onto this goldmine of a site I’d like them to submit pictures for the contest. I’d definitely like to make this a weekly award and if you are as lucky as the Broncos were in NFL’s week 1 win vs. the Bengals, it might turn into a daily award.
This picture is of a fan of the aforementioned Cincinnati Bengals, who is seen in a sea of cheese during their recent game in Green Bay (the Bengals won the game, led by a monstrous 5-sack outing by Antwan Odom). Congrats #85, you are That Fan of the month for October!
That Fan of the Month - October 2009
Think you are That Fan? Send us proof and we may select you as the next That Fan of the month. Send pictures to nick@thatfan.com and we may pick you!
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