So, My wife and I made the trip to Huntington, WV to watch the season opener for our school and Alma mater, Purdue University. The game turned out not to be a win for the Boilermakers, this is a discussion that has been had all over Purdue sites for a couple of days now and this is not what this post is about, but our short experience at Marshall University was eyeopening and very uplifting. Tailgating at Marshall is very different from what we are used to. People literally set up their tents and tables wherever there is room, which means that parking lots and sidewalk space is used for this purpose. You cannot walk to and from the stadium without passing several Marshall fans enjoying the day, food, friends, and beverages. From the moment we started walking from the car to the stadium we were greeted with "Welcome to Huntington" and "would you like a beer or food?". Many people extended their hand in a time honored ritual while saying things like "good luck" and "we are so happy to have you in Huntington today". While standing outside the stadium, waiting on my spouse to handle business, a Random Marshall fan walked by carrying a case of beer. He stopped, and handed me a beer and said "good luck".

Initially, we were heading over to find a friend of my wife's who was a Marshall grad and had a tailgate set up. We located his party and were instantly greeted with handshakes and hospitality like I have never received before. Every person we interacted with was friendly, positive, and just plain old fashioned friendly. At one point during the game, when Purdue fans started dropping the F bomb, my wife and I were embarrassed, because their fans just watched the game and cheered. No animosity towards Purdue if they scored or its fans.

If you ever get the chance to go to a game in Huntington, WV, I highly suggest you just walk around and talk with some of the most friendly fans in college football. Enjoy the hospitality and great conversation. But most of all, remember when you are tailgating at our lovely Purdue University, please pass it forward and show opposing fans that we are a great university with great fans (ND is excluded of course). And most importantly, Thank You to the fans of Marshall University for making a crappy ending to a game, one of the best experiences at a football game for both of us.