Jamie's Wish

Jayhawks and Wildcats united for a special tailgate experience this past Saturday at 11th & Mississippi. We don't take to hyperbole too often here at TEAM Tailgate, but this tailgate was epic.

TEAM Tailgate was on K-10 at 5 bells to get the tailgate prepped for the masses. Once the tents were popped, the pink balloons hung, and the grills fired ... it was go time.

The crowds flocked to 11th & Mississippi with a purpose. Ready to eat ... ready to drink ... and ready to DONATE! (More on that $$$ later). Although the crowd was littered with Blue & Purple ... the Pink was out in full force as well, to support Jamie's Wish.

Our sponsors stepped up huge. Need to hand out a few ATTA BOY awards.

The crew at CLEAR 10 vodka kept the libations flowing ...

Our boy, Angel, at the Krispy Kreme near 103rd & Metcalf dropped us 20 dozen donuts ... no that wasn't a typo ... 20 dozen! And we all know how TEAM Tailgate appreciates a good Krispy Kreme ... hot off the grill, of course!

Through our glorious years of tailgating we've gained somewhat of a reputation for the following: Serving an absurd amount of ice cold beers; creating culinary gems; staffing mixologist extraordinaire MTB; and, of course, exploiting every golden opportunity to bust each other's balls on a regular basis ... hardly the characteristics of a fundraising dream team.

TEAM Tailgate caught wind of Jamie's Wish over the summer and we were asked to help with this special Sunflower Showdown tailgate event. As the event grew closer, we made the executive decision that we were going to own it! Then something else happened ... as the week-of arrived, word spread like a brush fire ... newspaper articles, TV spots, etc. and we started to realize that Jamie's Wish was getting bigger than we could possibly fathom. When it was all said and done, it was a Great tailgate, with Great people, for a Great cause!

TEAM Tailgate is honored, humbled, and proud to be have teamed up with Jamie's Wish. We learned a few things over the last 48 hours ...

1. Real men wear pink!


2. The human spirit is alive and well in the State of Kansas. Jayhawk or Wildcat? Crimson & Blue vs. Purple? We all united to support Jamie's Wish, wear PINK, and ante up the green! Yep ... over 6 grand! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

TEAM Tailgate goes on ice for a few weeks ... See you November 12th.

Tailgate for a Cause

TEAM Tailgate invites you to join us this coming Saturday as we support Jamie's Wish.

We will be taking the tailgate to a completely different stratosphere this weekend and the best part ... 100% of all money raised will go directly to Jamie's Wish. So please, take the rest of the week and reflect on what level of awesomeness TEAM Tailgate has contributed to your own lives via our tailgate domination over the years. NOW ... time to give a little back.

For the regulars ... same spot as always!

For the rooks ... 11th & Mississippi! Once your eyes gaze upon this glorious Jayhawk van, you know you're there.

Oh ... and you'll probably hear the 300 watt subwoofer once you get within a mile radius. Here is a link to parking map for reference ... Lot #96.

We are honored to be associated with this worthy cause. I'll let Matt Tait of KU Sports provide some additional color. Great read!

**Please take special note of article comment by Patty Dreiling ... as most of you know, this is our fearless leader's mother!

Hope to see you on Saturday ... Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

OU Recap

Well ... well ... well ... TEAM Tailgate is at it again.

Sailing thru some uncharted waters with this whole 8:15 PM kick-off situation, we vacillated all week about arrival time. What time is reasonable to arrive for such a late start? Don't you worry ... first operational tailgate at 11:00 a.m. Sorry for partying! And no, we don't count these clowns who set up tents and chairs early in the AM and "begin" tailgating 2 hours before game time. Weak sauce.

Our fellas over at Clear 10 continue to bring the fury, fueling TEAM Tailgate and guests with libations.

It appears word travels fast these days ... the Italian Stallion lore spread like a brush fire. Folks came from far and wide to feast on this culinary dynamo. A grilled Italian sausage with provolone, topped with Italian beef and marinara. Hells yes! A few loyal TEAM Tailgate followers popped in from Austin, Chicago, and Prairie Village to chow down. Happy gullets indeed.

And these two fellas, accompanied by none other than the Godfather of TEAM Tailgate, Larry P. They jumped "the pond" to partake in this sandwich extravaganza. Yep, all the way from England! Good times mates ...

10 hours of tailgating can drain ya, no question. Unless ... an impromptu game of flip-cup breaks out on the track. Really took the energy up a notch. Great call, Mr. Johnson.

Next Saturday ... 11 AM. KU v K-STATE. 11th & Mississippi will be a rockin'.

Homecoming Recap - Texas Tech

As loyal followers/supporters of TEAM Tailgate, you have come to appreciate that an 11 AM kickoff means a wire-to-wire tailgate. Add in the Homecoming spectacle, though, and we feel obligated to take things up a rung.

Pop quiz: You ever set up a tailgate at 6 AM? I mean, you ever wired a complete audio/visual system with surround sound? Yep ... proper gear is in order! Hey Johnny Spelunker ... eat it. Nice work, Jeff D.


We've always thrown our chest out there a little bit, thinking our setup was pretty top shelf. Well ... MTB's buddy, Tom, did us a little favor and quietly reminding us the game can always be taken to another level. Umm ... yeah. This gear won't quite fit inside the Jayhawk van, gonna need it's own trailer.




Let's get up close and personal with this bad boy. Six burner grill with more BTUs than a 747! See those smoke signals coming off this puppy? Yep, full side box smoker with enough capacity for multiple smoked meats! And finally, no your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a freaking deep fat fryer! Done and Done.

A deep fat fryer!?! The possibilities are endless, right? Well ... today's menu called for crawfish pies. They did not disappoint - brought some Cajun fury. (Go get yourself some of that green Louisiana Jem sauce. You're welcome.)

There's something about a grill loaded up with Krispy Kremes that gives the crowd that extra skip in their step.

Just a picturesque day in Lawrence, Kansas.

The weather Gods were shining down ... the football Gods? Not so much.

See ya October 15th.