(Pictured Above, "Mike the Bartender" and Tim "Quality Control")Please let this serve as a message/open letter to all of our new followers at the KUAD. In addition, we will share some pictures so that you can get to know us. Apparently, we ruffled quite a few feathers over there with our mind numbingly awesome RUN DMT t-shirts. At the last tailgate, Paul Vander Tuig -Trademark Licensing Director-, made his way over to the tailgate and asked if we were selling shirts. I said yes, asked him what size and he presented me with his business card. We had a nice and cordial conversation and he let me know at the very least, it was against the rules to sell on University property. He also voiced some concern about DMT (Des, KMagic and Todd's) eligibility being in question because they were featured on the shirt. Long story short, he was super cool about the way he handled the situation. The old, don't shoot the messenger mantra kicked in my head and I told him we would stop selling the shirts at the tailgate immediately, apologized that he had to take time away from his family to deal with us (he brought his son (I'm guessing) with him on this mission) and thanked him for not grabbing campus security to issue me a ticket for selling on campus. In all actuality, for a guy who's job title is Trademark Licensing Director and who was forced into action, family in tow, he couldn't have been cooler.
(Erik "The chef" celebrating Tailgate of the Week!)
(This is me, Jeff Dreiling "audio visual/power equipment", at a Christmas Party with my daughter's namesake (her middle name is Reese)
(The aforementioned Lucy REESE and Dad)Bottom line here and reason why I'm sharing this with the blog readers is this. We sell the shirts to help make our tailgate better (yes, it is possible, come on Saturday to witness the whole hog roast) and we have been the biggest fans/supporters of the program with tailgates each and every week since 2001. This is the 4th T-shirt we have sold. The last two, I personally presented t-shirts to Lew Perkins and he loved them (never forget the Nebraska Blue Out from 2007). Fast forward 2 years, Orange Bowl Champions, challenging for the North, season tickets at an all time high and NOW our fandom and support of the team is a problem?
After winning tailgate of the week last week, we come to find out that a memo was sent out to the whole athletic department(on the Friday before the game) about our t-shirts/blog/tailgate. The memo was basically, make sure these guys don't win Tailgate of the week. Funny thing is we won and they filmed us and everything was fine. They had no idea we were "the t-shirt guys". That's how side note the tshirt sales are. If people asked, we sold. If not, enjoy a beer and a grilled Krispy Kreme. Obviously, these guys read the blog. My name is right in the top right hand corner. I don't use a funny user name. It is my first and last name (class of 2000). My e-mail address is my work address. I am not getting rich off of any t-shirt or tailgate, in fact I'm losing hundreds of dollars every year. Just trying to be a fan. All of the backroom, middle school whispering could have been stopped with a simple e-mail. We are fans of KU, not trying to cause problems. T-shirt sales have stopped. You won. Relax and focus on the bigger parts of your jobs. Let's focus on the Gridiron Club expansion not taking out our tailgating lot and other important things. I don't envy the job of working in an athletic department for one minute. In large it is thankless headache after thankless headache (see people selling RUN DMT t-shirts). These people are doing what they do because they truly beleive in the University of Kansas and the Jayhawks. So do we! Let's be friends. All KUAD employees are hereby invited to stop by the tailgate and enjoy some of our whole hog this weekend. Let's hug it out and prepare together to stomp OU. That's really what it's all about.
I hope and trust you will accept this offer of friendship and hope once and for all we can put an end to Hawk on Hawk crime.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dreiling (not to be confused with Joe College)
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