Letter: What happened to NIU student tailgating?

What happened to NIU student tailgating?

I’m a ‘07 graduate and I was at Fatty’s recently watching the ESPN1000 live broadcast. I left at about 11:30 a.m., about three hours before the NIU football game. Driving through town, I didn’t notice many students walking around, so I drove to the student side of the stadium, where we used to tailgate.

I was stunned to see the grounds empty. No cars, no students, no grills, no alcohol.

When I was a student nearly 20 years ago, it was a party out there. We began tailgating at 10 a.m., and kept the party going long after the game ended.

Granted, in those days, the football team was much better and it had better players, like Garrett Wolfe and Sam Hurd. These days, the team isn’t as good, but that shouldn’t deter students from tailgating.

I made a lot of memories while at NIU, but the ones I made during those Saturday tailgates rank near the top.

Saturday was a beautiful, fall day so I was shocked to see the grounds that I once roamed so empty.

Jermaine Pigee

Belvidere