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Tailgate ucF TODAY
CELEBRATE THE TAILGATE Tips For A Great Tailgate Want to start your own tailgate crew or spice up your current one? Here are a few helpful hints based on the pre-game experiences of Corey Mathias and Mike Couillard, owner of UCF-themed restaurant The Moat.
Passionate tailgating crew takes UCF tradition to a whole new level Not every man can handle the responsibility of being “Tailgater of The Year.” For Corey Mathias, the title comes with the territory—and by territory, we mean the stretch of parking lot that hosts his tailgating crew. “On game week, the planning committee meets on Thursday night to figure out the menu,” said Mathias. “I send out the meeting minutes on Friday morning. So on Saturday, everyone shows up and knows what to expect.” The menu is often themed around the opposing team—the crew smoked up some barbecue in honor of East Carolina, and when the Knights took on South Dakota, plenty of beef fell to the grill flames. No matter what the occasion, a generous helping of UCF spirit is always on the menu thanks to the strong ties that the crew has with the university. This year’s “planning committee” presents a diverse cross section of the UCF community. Tyson Leider graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, while Hayden Hontgas earned his Engineering Ph.D. in 2007 and Mathias finished his undergraduate degree in 1987. The group’s earliest graduate, Steve Smith, began his studies at UCF when it was still Florida Technological University. “There was a time this university was just a onelane road,” recalled Smith. “And it was a dirt road at that.” A very different UCF shines bright in the mind of C.J. Smith, Steve’s nine–year–old
CHIVALRY LIVES HERE Do the Knight Thing
son. “I’m going to be a wide receiver for the Knights,” he declared confidently, as though the UCF jersey he was sporting already bore his name.
Mathias has a niece enrolled in UCF and
crewmembers John and Valerie Canonico have a
Mix Up The Menu
Create An Identity
You can’t beat classic burgers and hot dogs, but throwing in a few surprises during the season will make hungry mouths even happier. Stumped for ideas ? Couillard and Mathias both look to the opposing team’s location for inspiration. And if you decide to go with full-blown themes, try to avoid repetition.
Think of your tailgating crew as a team. All teams need a name. Before Mike Couillard opened The Moat bar in 2010, “The Moat” was the nickname of his tailgating crew. It was dually inspired by former offensive line coach Robert McFarland, who nicknamed the line “The Moat,” and a member of the tailgating crew, who came up with the moniker, “Mother Of All Tailgates.”
Get Your Timing Right
Couillard decided to take over the coordination of his tailgating crew for one simple reason: “I was tired of waiting on buns.” The last thing anyone wants is a homeless hamburger, so when you delegate, either group complementar y items together or designate an arrival time.
daughter who enrolls this year. Multi-generational attendance is a fairly new development for the young university, and the tailgating crew embraces it enthusiastically.
“It’s a real family environment,” said Mathias of
the tailgate parties. “It’s great that we can all come together to support our team.”
Cultivating team spirit is a responsibility that
the crew takes seriously. So seriously that they launched a Student Representative Committee a few years ago.
“We think of it as recruiting and training the
future generation of tailgaters,” said Hontgas. “The students don’t have to contribute anything—though most of them do. They just have to show up and hang
Celebrate The Seasons
Tailgating is about the festivity as much as the football. Your party menu should reflect that. Mathias adds his secret apple cider recipe to the game day menu in late fall, and Couillard’s crew hosts a deep-fried turkey dinner the game day after Thanksgiving.
out. It’s wonderful to keep that sort of connection to them.”
For this crew, the act of tailgating is gratifying
on many levels, and the enjoyment goes far beyond getting together to watch a football game.
“It’s really just an excuse to hang out with
friends and family for the day,” admitted Mathias, the reigning Tailgater of the Year. “No matter what happens with the game—win, lose or draw—we always have a blast. We haven’t lost a tailgate yet.”
Keep It Fun
Despite the coordination that goes into their own setups, both Couillard and Mathias stressed that tailgating should never feel like work. You can start simple – a grill, a cooler, a couple of chairs and a tent – and keep it that way. Just don’t forget the most important ingredient of all: the right people.
“The tailgate is a day away from reality. I go there, I don’t have to deal with anything in the rest of the world. I have fun, I’m with family and friends, and then I get to go and watch a football game. That’s a good day.” – Mike Couillard
A Taste Of The Tailgate W o r l d - Fa m o u s J a l a p e ñ o B u rg e rs by Hayden Hontgas Ingredients: • 1 minced jalapeño pepper per burger, seeds and all • 80/20 ground beef. None of that lean stuff. • Worcestershire sauce
Be a Good Sport Visitors are our guests Cheer, don’t jeer Don’t let the alcohol do the talking
• Publix-brand French hamburger buns (if you haven’t had these before, they rock)
Respect the Opponent First step to a win Compete on the field not in the stands Don’t make it personal
Instructions: 1. T ake one handful of ground beef. Split that in half. Make two thin patties out of the handful. Spread one minced jalapeno on one patty. Cover with the other patty and smoosh together. Repeat for as many burgers as you want. 2. P lace burgers on hot grill. Pour Worcestershire sauce liberally on top. Flip burgers after a couple of minutes. Pour Worcestershire sauce again. Remove from grill when done. Garnish with any toppings and condiments you normally like.
Honor UCF Hold yourself to a higher standard Think reputation, not intimidation Reputations last lifetimes
• Cheese, lettuce, mustard, whatever condiments your normally like on your burger