Tiger fans show pre-season love
Story and photos by Shane Epping
This past Sunday, normally not a day of the week to visit Columbia’s Memorial Stadium and cheer on the Tigers, thousands of fans showed up to meet their favorite football players during MU Tiger Fan Appreciation Day. And they didn’t sit in stands. Instead, the crowd congregated on Faurot Field and waited in lines longer than a 100 yards to collect autographs and shake hands. Players signed items (limited to one per person) including T-shirts, footballs, posters, replica helmets, drawings, photos and a recent, regional issue of Sports Illustrated featuring Sean Weatherspoon, Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin on the cover. Fan Day attracted visitors from throughout the Show-Me state who were eager to support the 2008 Cotton Bowl champions.
Tiger Fan Appreciation Day lasted an hour and a half, and lines still were long when it was over.
Two-year-old Gabreille Pemberton sports an MU cheerleading outfit behind members of the team she supports. Tents and oversize electric fans kept some players cool, while other athletes roamed the turf and sporadically greeted fans in the summer sun.
After signing a copy of the regional Sports Illustrated issue with his picture on the cover, Chase Daniel returns it to fan Lezlie Doll.
Ben Lewandowski (left) and Cameron Huff compete for an overthrown pass while fans wait in line for a chance to meet members of last year’s No. 4-ranked team.
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