the ones who show up.

"the silver bullet"

Keith Birchall

Silver face paint and a No. 1 jersey for 15+ years.

how it started Going to games since age 6. First painted up at his first Super Bowl to stand out.

• 4 Super Bowls, all wins
• DraftKings commercials

"big ed"

Ed Callahan

EagleMobile RV tailgate; 300+ games

how it started First game 1954 at Shibe Park; season tickets since 1997; the tailgate began in 2004 when his group made cheesesteaks for an RV group in Cleveland in exchange for restroom access; the original RV fell apart in 2012

• 2025 NFL Ultimate Fan of the Year (first Eagles fan to win)
• EagleMobile II is in the Tailgating Hall of Fame

"anthonymsg"

Anthony Donahue

Attended nearly every game since 2001; hosts game-day experiences and watch parties

how it started Native New Yorker; first Knicks game Apr 2, 1994; interned at ESPN Radio in the early 2000s

• Attended almost every home game since 2001
• hosts several game-day experiences a year for groups of up to 100+ (bar meetup, game, warm-ups, sometimes a postgame free throw on the court)

"chop cheese fc"

Nico Tobon

Films and interviews fans in the supporters' section at every NYCFC home match; co-hosts the "New York Nobodies" NYCFC podcast

how it started Started watching soccer during the 2014 World Cup; attended NYCFC's inaugural-season match at Yankee Stadium; began posting as Chop Cheese FC in summer 2022 because supporter culture was under-covered

• Swapped shirts with NYCFC players Mitja Ilenič and Mounsef Bakrar

"big orange tux guy"

J.R. Greene

Hand-colored orange tuxedo and dyed orange hat; tagline "I'm here to show the world Tennessee has class!"

how it started Ran onto the field leading the team before the Fiesta Bowl, Jan 4, 1999 (1998 national title game)

• ESPN feature "CFB's ultimate party crasher" (date not verified)
• children's book My Magic Tux

"claws"

Pete Kowalczuk

Season ticket holder; Bears reaction videos and vlogs

how it started Caleb Williams draft video went viral

• Viral Jan 2026 playoff reaction
• first viral video reached about 200K views

"sixth man"

Alan Horwitz

Courtside seat; sunglasses; Sixth Man jersey

how it started Teen fan in 1960s Civic Center rafters

• Naismith HOF SuperFan Gallery 2024
• Sixth Man Center

"philly sports guy"

Jamie Pagliei

Full-time fan at Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers home games; reaction videos; brought a late friend's ashes to games

• 2024-25 season story
• named one of the Inquirer's 20 must-follow Philly TikTok accounts (Dec 2023)

"mr. whammy"

Bruce Reznick

Courtside hexes on opposing free throw shooters, behind the basket

how it started Ian Eagle gave him the nickname on national TV; season tickets for about 25 years as of 2023; does not whammy former Nets players

• Chirped by Draymond Green (Dec 2025)
• Joe Tsai named him team's guest at the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery

rick genslinger

Basement fan cave and bar, "Slinger's Broad Street Bar," with goal sirens, 23 Rick Tocchet jerseys and two seats from the Spectrum; opens to the public during weekend Flyers games

how it started Fan since the 1970s, when his mom let him stay up late only on Flyers nights

• 2019-20 Flyers/Toyota Cup Fan of the Year
• 2016 Man Cave of the Year (mancavesite.org)

matt wolosz

Runs the "Penn State Jerseys" Instagram. Printed 150 "Hire Terry Smith" signs and handed them out in Lot 18, sitting in four seats behind the PSU bench

• A player held one of his signs during an NBC postgame interview. He said he would bring more signs to Rutgers

"red suit guy"

William Rabold

Bright red suit, with bow ties for MSG games, at nearly every home game; sells his own "Red Suit Guy" merch

how it started Got St. John's tickets at MSG as a high school sophomore, which led him to enroll; in 2016 he and a friend started wearing suits to energize the student section

• Worked with athletics as Red Suit Guy at the first post-COVID in-person Garden game
• in 2023 Big East Tournament promo content

"momma t"

Therese Schmidt

Shorts every day since 2010 until a Bears Super Bowl

how it started The shorts habit began as a bet with a delivery driver

• Shorts pact through 2013 Hawks lockout
• Sox jersey daily in 2005

ed sirianni

Has attended every Penn State game, home and away, since 1982, including Dublin. Reported totals: 329,682 miles driven, 33,905 flights, 4,180 trains (WNEP)

how it started Missed the 1982 Nebraska game (27-24 win) to be best man at a wedding and vowed "never, never" to miss another

• Honored as a Hometown Hero at halftime of PSU vs. Michigan on Nov 11, 2023 for his 500th consecutive game. Married at the 50-yard line during the 2007 Buffalo game. Sat in the parking lot during 2020. Veteran (WITF says Vietnam
• WNEP says Air Force, which may not conflict)

lou ragonese

Has gone to games for 70 years and stays to the final whistle: "You really miss the best part of the game if you don't stay until the end"

how it started Has supported SU football since 1942. He missed only the 3 years he served in the Air Force

• Held season tickets on and off
• has passed the tradition down through several generations

"all in! autumn wind"

Brian Fowler

Raider Nation persona; lit Al Davis Memorial Torch

• Guinness fastest to visit all NFL stadiums (72d 20h 56m, Nov 30, 2025 at MetLife)
• Guinness most NFL games in a season (56, Sep 7, 2025 to Jan 4, 2026)

jeff comeaux

Broadcast cameras caught his reactions during the Sep 13, 2025 Georgia game (44-41 OT loss), which became memes. Says "I got Coldplayed"

• Called in sick to attend, and his boss saw him on TV. Recognized at Circle Park. Appeared on WSMV/WVLT Volunteer Gameday

jared carrabis

section 10 host

Fan turned creator. Hosts Section 10 and Baseball is Dead, live tweets every game.

how it started First Fenway game July 2, 1997. At ALCS Game 4 in 2004 with his dad. Started a MySpace Sox blog in 2006.

• 3rd in the 2007 Red Sox Nation presidential vote
• Barstool 2014 to 2022, then DraftKings, then Underdog (2024), where he got the Section 10 name back

"beanpot superfan"

Larry O'Rourke

40+ Beanpots, every one since 1990. Swears he's never seen a fair penalty on NU.

how it started Lifelong Husky.

• Tears at the 2018 Beanpot win; two Friends of NU Hockey awards

"prosciutto papi"

Tommy Guarino and Chad McDonough

Comedy creators playing Boston sports fan characters.

how it started TikTok since the 2020 lockdown; Guarino is a former UMass hockey player.

• Dunkin ad with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck
• Co founded It's Content; NESN Dirty Water Media partner; Red Sox paid partnerships

"the well dressed man"

Lynsdale Ford

Custom green suit coat signed by Paul Pierce, bedazzled top hat. The loudest in Section 6.

how it started About 20 years of home games; says the team gave him purpose and family.

• CBS called him the unofficial Celtics hype man during the 2024 Finals

"ms. purr"

Sheree Pintea

Elaborate home tailgates welcoming visiting fans; hands out headbands and flags to kids

how it started Worked extra hours to buy PSLs after Carolina got the franchise in 1993; has missed only one Panthers game

• Visa Hall of Fans (2003, per PFUFA)
• Panthers 2022 Fan of the Year

"hulk hands"

Michael Gutradt

Hulk gloves; hosts a game-day tailgate in MetLife Lot D10

how it started Became a fan in 1976 after a game at Shea Stadium; grew up in Flushing as a Mets fan

• Jets Fan HOF Class of 2024
• donates to players' foundations

"cowbell man"

Eddie Boison

Walks Citi Field ringing a cowbell

how it started Mets fan since 1963; Cowbell Man since 1981

• Nearly every home game
• memories of 1969, 1986, Piazza's post-9/11 home run

"pinto ron"

Ken Johnson

Red Ford Pinto tailgate; cooks on the Pinto's hood with a shovel and army helmet; ketchup-and-mustard shower; bowling-ball shots

how it started 'Born into' Bills fandom; nickname came from a media misspelling of his name; streak began 1994 after reaching his goal of 16 straight games

• 500+ consecutive Bills games (streak through Sept 2020, paused only by no-fan COVID games)
• 400th straight on Nov 11, 2018

"notre dame harvey"

Bob Sumner

"Go Irish" sign-off; annual pilgrimage

how it started First trip Oct 1977

• 50th pilgrimage in 2026
• travels with "The Notre Dame Club of Grays Ferry"

"bengals captain"

Jeremy Conley

Persona "Bengals Captain"; has worn the same orange suit every week since 2016; season ticket holder since 2011

how it started Met his wife through a "Who Dey" exchange

• Featured as a superfan couple with Jessica Conley (NFL-CIN-07) before Super Bowl LVI
• 2024 Bengals Fan of the Year nominees as a pair (NFL.com)

"the pacer guy"

Matt Asen

Courtside fixture for nearly four decades; inflatable flamingo and handmade signs

how it started Fandom began in 1987 after a chance meeting with Pacers owner Herb Simon

• Has not missed a home playoff game in over 20 years
• traveled to Paris in Jan 2025 to support the team

dale mccord

Family season tickets since 1981; tailgater; Commanders fan captain

how it started Grandfather bought season tickets in 1981

• 2024 Commanders Fan of the Year, the first deaf Fan of the Year nominee
• first deaf member of the Pro Football Ultimate Fan Association (2017)

"weird wolf"

Lynn Schmidt

Weird Wolf costumed character created to make Arrowhead louder

how it started Chiefs fan since childhood

• 25 seasons in character
• profiled before 2025 AFC Championship

"bevo hat guy"

Jack Maddox

Bevo plush duct-taped to a cowboy hat, Bevo apron, burnt orange plaid tie, shirtless at football

how it started Dad attended UT. Got the Bevo plush at age 7 (Build-a-Bear) and later taped it to a hat

• Hundreds of UT events attended. President of "The Corral," the UT MBB hype squad. Featured by UT News

"muscle fan"

Robert Veglia

Wears a muscleman costume to every game; chants "Let's go, boys"

how it started Moved to Florida in 1993 and adopted the Panthers

• Uses his growing popularity for a personal tribute at every game (WFLX)

kyle searfoss

Group that filled two buses for every home game at old Giants Stadium

how it started Grew up around Giants fans

• 2024 Giants Fan of the Year
• describes the Giants as "not a football team but a way of life"

"dr. cheer"

Cynthia Layton

Cheers from Section 136 as a PSL owner

how it started Colts cheerleader at Memorial Stadium 1972 to 1983

• 2024 Ravens Fan of the Year
• charter member of Ravens Roost 75

"jiggly boy"

John Sweeney

Jumbotron dancing; tore off shirt to reveal "WOLVES 1"

how it started Created the persona with the Wolves marketing department in 2004

• 2004 debut an early viral video
• charity site jigglyboy.com

"alesantoz"

Alexandros Swoch

Founder of a DACH-region Falcons fan club; 15 signed jerseys; Facebook group, website, YouTube podcast

• NFL's first International Fan of the Year (2024)

"ou nana"

Patti Gunter

Crimson visor covered in player signatures; pin-covered "OU Nana" jersey; leads crowd cheers at the WCWS

how it started Has attended OU games since 1968

• Led cheers at Game 1 of the 2025 WCWS finals vs. Texas. Bakes brownies for OU teams. Keeps a memorabilia room

"thundor"

Garrett Haviland

Body paint, mask, cape and a blue-and-orange megaphone; distracts opposing free-throw shooters with a bare belly ("a little bit of belly action")

how it started Made the costume for a team fan contest in the Thunder's first OKC season (2008-09); he did not win but became a fixture

• Interviewed by NBA on TNT hosts after a 2013 playoff game
• seen on TV broadcasts

"bucnutz"

Matt Algeri

BUCNUTZ face paint persona

how it started First home game 1995

• Bucs 2024 Fan of the Year nominee
• PFUFA inductee 2015

"big mike"

Mike Whiting

Blows a horn after every goal and leads "Let's go Canes" chant from Section 229 next to the siren

how it started Joined Storm Squad (NHL's first gameday spirit team) in 2002; found a box of horns in a storage room his first season

• 25 years rallying crowds
• owns 2006 Stanley Cup ring

katie soucy

first in line at agganis

Fleet season ticket holder, first in line for the first Agganis game.

how it started Tsongas era fan.

mark moore

About 40 Opening Days attended; a family Opening Day tradition

how it started Phillies fan since 1964

• Quoted by WHYY at the 2025 home opener ("I'm still in therapy about that," on 1964)

nikki tieman

Lot C tailgates; banner for pitcher Mike Vasil

how it started Her family held first-base-line season tickets at old Comiskey Park

• Quoted at the ALDS Game 3 tailgate, Oct 2026: "We've been waiting so long for this"

"woo woo"

Ronnie Wickers

Woo Woo chant

how it started Fan since late 1950s

• Wrigley icon
• Sept 2025 return

"blazers argento"

Santiago Fama

Has organized his life around the Blazers

• Featured by KATU

anna esten

boston isa membership chair

Leads membership for Boston ISA, the club's independent supporters group.

sandy vasquez

Collection of autographed jerseys and a ball

how it started Her dad took her to Spurs games at the Alamodome in the 1990s

• Emotional on camera before the 2026 Finals vs. the Knicks

alissa hirsh

Sky Townies newsletter

sheila harris

Season ticket member and fan since 1974

• Mic'd up by the Sabres for Fan Appreciation Night, Apr 12, 2024
• met Dylan Cozens and won his jersey

allen estrada

Hot dog costume since 2017

how it started Fandom began at age 13 on a Boys and Girls Club field trip; has worn the hot dog costume since the 2017 World Series vs. the Astros, mostly in the postseason

• Season ticket holder
• 2024 World Series feature