A Day In The Life
A day in the life…
Think back to Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010 in Corvallis, Oregon. It’s game day. The leaves are changing. First-year students can’t figure out where Milam Auditorium is. The bookstore is still attached to the MU. Marvin Beaverman is at about day 3,560 of Beaver Pride, and “Like a G6” is echoing through the corridor between Sancho’s and Impulse. (JP, please play 5 seconds of “Like a G6” by Far East Movement).
My game day experiences in college were different from the average student. I was fortunate enough to be one of the few people who have put on a big fur onesie that velcro’s in the back, strap on a tail, slip over the No. 0 jersey and buckle-up a head that only has vision through its nose.
I want to take you through what a football game day entails for Benny the Beaver, or at least my experience as Benny back in 2010.
The 1-2 Mike Riley Beavers, coming off a loss at No. 3 Boise State, are matched up against ASU. Kickoff is at 3:30 pm PT. I need to be at the stadium by 11:30. I gather a few essentials - Nike Dry-Fit shirt, compression shorts, basketball shorts, long black socks, and the most important piece of equipment - a headband. All that is packed up along with plenty of water and Gatorade and I make my way through campus to the marketing offices inside Legendary Gill Coliseum.
Inside Gill we go over all the promos and special events going on for the game, where Benny needs to be at certain times, then we head to the basement of Gill to grab what we need- two of everything- two suits, two jerseys, two tails, etc. All packed into a red zippered bag that puts those blue Ikea bags to shame and we make our way to Reser.
Prior to the Terrace being built, and before the team running out from right behind the goal posts, they would come in the corner of the field, through an inflatable helmet. Behind the helmet there was a big storage room - extra equipment to take on the field, the big American flag, and a separate fenced-in corner for us to put all of our Benny gear and get ready for the game. Once we set our stuff in the cage, we go help the other marketing people set up other inflatables and games that make Oregon State game day what it is. Two hours 'til kickoff.
We head back to get ready for pre-game. I get the suit on and we head out to film the Tailgater of the Game, Stub-Hub Seat Upgrade, throw the football around, head to the fan zone and race some kids through an obstacle course, take some pictures, sign some autographs, and then make our way back to the cage. One hour ‘til kickoff.
Break time, regroup, rehydrate, change out headband, try and get the fan in the head to work because the head is fogging up and head back out for the most exciting part of game day. Thirty minutes ‘til kickoff.
The meeting we are about to have is one of the best meetings we have all day, it’s with the fireworks guys to go over how we are gonna make sure the detonator (a box with a metal handle you have to push down to detonate) works and everything goes off without a hitch. The band and cheer team are on the field, doing their thing as I walk around giving high fives and trying to calm down before the show is about to start.
The intro video has started - our main players featured on the Jumbotron looking back to previous OSU players making big plays, then it shifts to “Crazy Train” with our current season highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niLJU2Hz91w
The fireworks guy drops his hand, I drop the plunger, fireworks blast, the team comes out: Reser goes crazy.
*Aside from a few events I was fortunate enough to participate in, the start to Beaver football games is the most excited and jacked up I have ever been, there is too much energy all around you to be anything but ready to run through a brick wall at a moment’s notice.
The players run out of the helmet. I meet one of my buddies on the team at the 50-yard-line, do our secret handshake, and head to the sideline to enjoy the rest of the game. Quarter-break promotions - the Shane Co. Ring Run, Oregon State Credit Union Field Goal, catch a ball from the punt machine for free Qdoba for a year. Between all of those, Quizz runs for 145 and two TD’s, Jordan Bishop catches 4-for-86, and Ryan Katz throws for 260 yard and two TD’s. James Dockery has two interceptions, leading us to a 31-28 win. Hip Hip…..Hooray!
(JP, please play five seconds of “Hail to Old OSU”.)
The game is over. We take a few more pictures, and change back into our OSU polos, pack Benny up, back to Gill, back home to enjoy a Beaver W.
A few notes to finish up:
Please do not pull Benny’s tail, it will rip.
Yes, it is as hot as you think it is inside the suit (lost about five lbs/game)
No, I don’t know when Bernice will be coming back from the store with that quart of milk…
Go Beavs! Chop Em! FTD!
- Will/Former Benny
