Tailgating at Hinds Community College may not be the same as tailgating at a university, but it’s still tailgating. For this blog I decided to show a bit about how much fun can be had at a Hinds CC tailgating. This season Hinds decided to have some special events before each home game. So no matter who you are, or when you went to Hinds, or what you did there, there was a tailgate for you!
All this tailgating got me to thinking about how tailgating came to be, so I Googled it of course! And according to http://chimys.com/the-history-of-tailgating/ the original tailgate dates back to the Civil War, but the first football tailgate happened in 1869, before the first football game ever played between Princeton and Rutgers. The game itself was a cross between modern-day football and rugby. Rutgers fans gathered before the game and put on crimson scarves as turbans to distinguish themselves from the Princeton fans. They wore their school colors as a symbol of pride for their university. Thus, the tailgate was born.
Now for the Hinds tailgate events!
On Aug. 27 Hinds celebrated current students, with special recognition of student leaders, the national award-winning 2014-2015 Hi-Steppers and 2015 state championship baseball team.
On Sept. 3 Hinds featured all of its championship football teams and cheerleaders from the years: 1944, 1945, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2000.
On Sept. 17 Coach Terri Shores Black was honored on her retirement. All former players were invited to tailgate during the game.
On Oct. 8 Hinds hosted “Thursday Night Lights” as a tailgating/recruiting event for prospective students. Breast cancer awareness was also highlighted during halftime.
Tailgating is about coming together and enjoying the game with friends and family, making new friends and seeing old ones. But at Hinds, it’s also about the community.
I had to be at most of these tailgating events (hence the photos!) and I will tell you that these alumni, employees, kids and guest had a blast.
So as you can see, we here at Hinds may not have the “university style tailgating” but we sure do know how to have a good time!
