The Blue Devil Has a Busy Weekend in Durham and Tampa
Hello Duke fans. I had a busy weekend, having to literally be in two places at the same time. Of course, we had the basketball team defeating St. John’s in Cameron and we also had the annual ACC football title game. You guys saw how the hoops game went down live in Cameron or on ESPN2, so I will give you a rundown of my fun weekend in Tampa.
The Road to Tampa for the ACC Football Championship
What an insane weekend. Just got back from Tampa Bay, FL, home of the 2009 ACC Football Championship Game Sponsored by Dr. Pepper. I arrived in Tampa from my flight from the beautiful RDU airport on the night of Thursday, December 3, a good two days before gameday, ready for a fountain of Dr. Pepper to greet me at the hotel along with the 11 other mascots of the ACC (well, ten mascots and one Florida State Cheerleader…perhaps Chief Osceola was busy?). Contrary to my belief, Dr. Pepper was not flowing at any part of my trip!
Meeting the other Mascots
On my trip I was able to hang out with the other mascots of the ACC. That was interesting. Whether making fun of Testudo (by pointing out that he was an awkward turtle or that his name resembled my favorite food to have with salsa), playing pranks on Ramses (he deserved it), or swearing that the Clemson Cub was the reincarnation of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh (the resemblance is uncanny), it was an interesting experience coming in close contact with all the mascots I had previously only threatened with my pitchfork. Apparently they all thought I was the meanest mascot in the ACC – its good to know my opponents feel that way.
The Fun Begins – Friday, December 4, 2009
Anyway, after I arrived at the hotel and looking at my agenda, I realized I had a couple very busy days ahead of me. On Friday we first departed for the Tampa Convention Center where the ACC Coaches and Awards Luncheon was held. All 11 mascots and the FSU cheerleader were unleashed onto the crowd outside the luncheon where many ACC greats were being honored, including ACC Player of the Year C.J. Spiller and Commissioner’s Cup winner Mark Herzlich (he was the first player to ever be given the award due to his fight against cancer!). After the luncheon, us mascots had a few hours to recover before we went to a bowling alley to go bowling with children who were battling with cancer. Now this was a great event! The kids really enjoyed our presence there, and I was finally reunited with some familiar faces as Maren and Lauren from the Duke Cheerleading Squad came to bowl with me! After bowling with some kids (including a couple strikes and, unfortunately, a gutterball or two), we were unleashed into the crowd for the Toast to the Atlantic Coast, where we mingled with the masses in several bars as the Georgia Tech and Clemson bands played their tunes. After this we were able to get back to our hotel and get some much needed sleep!
And Then It Was Gameday – Saturday, December 5, 2009
Then it was Saturday, gameday not only for the Yellow Jackets and Tigers, but also for us mascots. It was time for the annual ACC Mascot Game, as the Coastal Division mascots teamed up against the Atlantic Division mascots. As a part of the Coastal Division, I was honored to play with the mascots of Virginia, Virginia Tech, UMiami, and Georgia Tech, and was forced to play with Ramses, the mascot of UNC. The game was a shining moment for your favorite mascot, as I led my team to both of our touchdowns! The first touchdown was off an interception off a pass thrown by the FSU cheerleader. The second was an option run I made as quarterback on the one yard line. As I got the snap from Ramses, I noticed a gaping hole in the Atlantic Division’s right side, and I surged forward to exploit it for the touchdown. While there was no official MVP of the game, my newfound fan base of 3-8 year old fans told me I had done something right. My proudest moment on Saturday may not have even been my two touchdowns I made in the football game, but rather a touchdown I made while playing with some Clemson Tailgaters. After taunting me for a considerable amount of time, I decided to play a possession of football with several twenty year-old Clemson fans. After the first pass wasn’t thrown my way, I lined up as a wide receiver acting like I was about to sprint when my QB said hike. With the start of the play, I faked like I was going forward, then turned around and received a short pass. I then took off, and as I was running I saw the Clemson fan who had been taunting me the most coming in for the big hit. Right when he lowered his shoulders in an attempt to lay me out, I made a quick spin move, totally evaded his tackle, and ran in for the touchdown while my foe hit the dirt. Another TD for yours truly!
Meeting a Duke Football Legend
Right before the start of the ACC Championship game, I had the unique privilege of escorting a true Duke Football Legend onto the field during the pre-game festivities. Bob Pascal was one of the first true football stars in the history of the ACC. While he was a player he led the Blue Devils to the first three ACC Football titles that were ever awarded, asserting Duke’s superiority even from the very start of the league. I was humbled to bring him out onto the field before the game, and he seemed as if he was enjoying it himself as well. His stare out into the crowd was one of a humble hero, and his accomplishments at Duke in his incredible football career should be an example for every aspiring Duke football player. I wish him all the best in the future, and I cannot wait to see if the future of Duke football is as bright as Bob Pascal wants it to be.
To read more about Bob Pascal and his incredible career at duke, check out this link.
The Coastal Division Reigns Supreme
As we all know, Georgia Tech beat out Clemson to win the ACC Championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl. What a win! The fans of both sides came out in force and it was truly an amazing game to watch under the clear skies of Tampa. Just goes to show you that the teams of the Coastal Division are obviously better than the teams of the Atlantic Division.
In summary, the weekend was memorable for sure!
Tags: "blue devil"
