Redhawks fans dress up, turn out for SEMO playoff football game

Jack Trickey sported his trademark red blazer for Southeast Missouri State University�s first ever home Football Championship Subdivision playoff game Saturday.

The Cape Girardeau man is one of about a dozen men who call themselves the Red Blazer Crew and cheer on Southeast Missouri State University sports teams.

Trickey was among the die-hard fans who showed up early Saturday morning, more than five hours before the game at Houck Field.

�We all have the same passion for SEMO athletics,� he said as he drank a beer in front of a large recreation vehicle parked on Bellevue Street outside the stadium.

Trickey said he and his buddies go to both away and home games.

Saturday�s game was �bonus football,� he said.

The Red Blazer group has its own mascot, a 3-year-old dog named Belle. Adopted from the local Humane Society, the dog is owned by Blazer member Jerrett McGuire of Cape Girardeau, who also has the RV.

McGuire dresses up the dog in a SEMO jersey or cheer-leading outfit. Saturday, Belle wore the cheer-leading outfit.

�It�s fun to see everybody,� he said.

On the other side of the street, the Moose Knuckles group tailgated by their �Knucklemobile� van and their red and white RV named the �KnRambler.�

A table of beverages sported a sign reading, �Slow, Moose at Play.�

The Rambler is equipped with a loud train horn while the van sports a fire engine siren. Moose Knuckles� members like to activate the horn and siren at their pre-game party.

Moose Knuckles has 12 to 15 members. The movie �DodgeBall� provided the genesis for the name.

They and the Blazers often caravan to away games.

Moose Knuckles� Andy Robert of Cape Girardeau said he regularly sleeps in the RV outside Houck Field on the night before a game.

Robert spent part of Saturday morning grilling some food on Bellevue.

�We have ribs and bacon,� he said.

Hot dogs and brats also were on the menu, and Robert is proud of the group�s version of Philly cheese steak sandwiches.

Fellow Moose Knuckles member John Spear of Cape Girardeau said as boosters, they have fun backing the Redhawks.

�We do this as much for the players as for ourselves,� he said.

Spear said he loves game day. With Saturday�s game being a playoff game, Spear said he and other fans had �all the adrenaline� needed for such a celebration.

Spear said he and his friends don�t just attend Southeast football games. They also show up at basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball games.

Back across the street, Red Blazer member Charles Graham of Cape Girardeau said he was hoping to see a lot of fans show up for the game.

Graham got his wish. By game time, the stadium was packed.

More than 5,600 people attended the game, the second largest crowd at Houck Stadium this football season.

Some 6,400 people attended Southeast�s homecoming game Oct. 13.

�It�s fun,� Graham said of tailgating hours before the game. �We are all friends,� he said of the close-knit group.

While a member of the Red Blazer group, Graham said he doesn�t wear the jacket.

�I don�t look good in a red blazer,� he said with a smile.

Jeremy Nall of Jackson said he joined the group because �these guys look like they are having a good time.�

A few blocks away, in a parking lot along Broadway, Julia Unnerstall served up food that blanketed a table under a red tent from which hung a black chandelier.

Her tailgate spot included a Redhawks flag and pennant, as well as a vase full of roses. Unnerstall said the roses pay tribute to Cape Girardeau as the �city of roses.�

�Nobody has more spirit than I do,� said Unnerstall, whose son, Zach Stagner, is a senior on the Southeast football team.

In the east end of the stadium, boosters gathered before the 1 p.m. kickoff.

Among the hundreds gathered there was Red Blazer member Rob Foeste of Cape Girardeau. His attire included a red blazer and shorts, as well as a red captain�s hat.

He said his friends now call him �Capt. Rob.�

Foeste said his group�s signature blazer has caught on with university officials, who now sport such jackets.

It�s all about �school pride,� he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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