Monday, March 3, 2008
The excitement for ESPN’s “College GameDay” program started long before the doors to Allen Fieldhouse opened at 8 a.m. Saturday. Some bared the elements — and the skunks — when they camped outside the doors Friday night.
The first fans showed up around 7 p.m. Friday. Andrew Stanley, Overland Park junior, came prepared for the night.
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For an audio Q & A with ESPN's "College Gameday" broadcaster Rece Davis, listen to the podcast: Interview with ESPN's Rece Davis.
A Kansas cheerleader runs the Jayhawk flag behind the ESPN College Gameday set during the taping of the show in Allen Fieldhouse Saturday morning.
“I put all the camping stuff in my car and came here,” Stanley said.
Another member of Stanley’s group borrowed a tent from the Student Fitness and Recreation Center for the night.
The campers found ways to make the night interesting. They ate pizza, and found a way to watch DVDs and play games.
“We found an unused outlet outside, so I went back to my place and got a projector, a DVD player and a Nintendo 64, hooked them up and projected it on the parking garage,” Stanley said. “We watched ‘The Office’ and played ‘GoldenEye’ for a while.”
The entertainment may have drawn an uninvited guest over as well.
“There was a skunk that came over,” Stanley said. “Some people upset it, and so it sprayed.”
A few other groups joined Stanley’s group of 20 fans for camping that night. Their efforts paid off in the morning. The campers had prime seats for the show, right behind the hosts’ desk.
The next morning, fans slowly started showing up an hour before the doors opened. Some fans grumbled about the small size of the crowd, but by the time that the “College GameDay” crew started filming a few pieces for SportsCenter at about 9 a.m., fans had filled the east side of the fieldhouse and screamed as loud as possible.
“It was ten times louder than last year,” said Brock Templeman, an Overland Park freshman.
Digger Phelps, one of the show’s hosts, served as the emcee before the show and between shots. He kept the crowd in a frenzy and pumped them up before the cameras started rolling.
Phoebe Chapin-Patch, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, yells into an ESPN camera with her 5-year-old sister, Hope Elise Chapin-Henry, during the taping of College Gameday in Allen Fieldhouse Saturday morning.
“You were so good that we had to repeat. We came back because you’re the best ‘College GameDay’ crowd in four years,” Phelps told the crowd before the first shot of the day.
Phelps’ efforts to excite the crowd included striking up the KU pep band and dancing with one of the Rock Chalk Dancers
“The guys at the desk made it more interesting. Digger’s dancing was hilarious,” Templeman said.
The crowd also got boosts of energy when segments featured the Jayhawks. One of the segments was a college basketball version of the game show “Deal or No Deal.” During the segment, host Hubert Davis said that Kansas wanted to get beyond the Final Four. Sophomore guard Sherron Collins also stirred the crowd when he emerged from the locker room to take a peek at the crowd during a commercial break.
Stanley and Templeman agreed that “College GameDay” was worth their time.
“It’s great being right in the front row of the greatest atmosphere in the world. Being here for the payback and going nuts and intimidating the Wildcats is awesome,” Stanley said.
The “College GameDay” crowd may have been loud, but it didn’t come close to the noise during Kansas’ victory against Kansas State later that night.
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
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