Pilot basketball draws fanatic following
Professors, students and those who dress regularly in suits of purple come to cheer on the Pilots
Kyle Cape-Lindelin
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Sports
It's easier to be a fan of University of Portland Pilots men's basketball nowadays, the team currently in third place in the WCC with a winning record of 14-7 after having long lapses of losing seasons in the past. But for some fans, Pilot basketball is and has been their life, even through the harshest times.
Whether they're students, faculty members or alumni who never gave up their love for the Pilots, hardcore Pilot fans come in all ages.
Recently student fans have upped their intensity to go along with the men's successful season. Juniors Peter VanDomelen and Nick Moran wanted to do something more original with the creation of "the purple-suit guys."
VanDomelen came from the Portland area already used to watching an occasional Pilot game, but got hooked when he became a student and started going to games full time. VanDomelen and Moran decided on doing something different than the body paint employed by Pilot soccer fans.
"We watched an 'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' episode where one of the main characters wore a green body suit. So we Googled it and saw they were available in purple too," VanDomelen said.
VanDomelen gets inspiration to go the extra mile being a fan because "there are a lot of different players to root for and someone new steps up every night, we don't have a superstar but we have a team."
Recalling what his all-time favorite game was, VanDomelen replied "definitely the Oregon game this year, where T.J. Campbell dunked at the end of the game, real in your face moment against our rivals in front of a packed house and lots of Oregon fans."
Students aren't just the only ones who are super fans. There are some true fans in the faculty as well. Sociology professor Robert Duff first came to UP in 1972 after graduating from University of Notre Dame and immediately became friends with then head coach Jack Avina.
This laid the foundation for Duff's fandom and he became hooked when the heralded recruiting class of 1976 arrived.
Whether they're students, faculty members or alumni who never gave up their love for the Pilots, hardcore Pilot fans come in all ages.
Recently student fans have upped their intensity to go along with the men's successful season. Juniors Peter VanDomelen and Nick Moran wanted to do something more original with the creation of "the purple-suit guys."
VanDomelen came from the Portland area already used to watching an occasional Pilot game, but got hooked when he became a student and started going to games full time. VanDomelen and Moran decided on doing something different than the body paint employed by Pilot soccer fans.
"We watched an 'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' episode where one of the main characters wore a green body suit. So we Googled it and saw they were available in purple too," VanDomelen said.
VanDomelen gets inspiration to go the extra mile being a fan because "there are a lot of different players to root for and someone new steps up every night, we don't have a superstar but we have a team."
Recalling what his all-time favorite game was, VanDomelen replied "definitely the Oregon game this year, where T.J. Campbell dunked at the end of the game, real in your face moment against our rivals in front of a packed house and lots of Oregon fans."
Students aren't just the only ones who are super fans. There are some true fans in the faculty as well. Sociology professor Robert Duff first came to UP in 1972 after graduating from University of Notre Dame and immediately became friends with then head coach Jack Avina.
This laid the foundation for Duff's fandom and he became hooked when the heralded recruiting class of 1976 arrived.
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