The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ryan Sayers Dale Nosel cheers during the UConn men's basketball game against Michigan.

Saturday might have been the end of an era. No, this isn't another column about Jeff Adrien and Renee Montgomery. Those guys have had their share of ink this year. And while Saturday was their Senior Day, it also might have been the last regular-season appearance of Dale.

You might know Dale - that would be UConn alumnus Dale Nosel, the blue-and-white guy, of course - from that time he painted his body and jumped around in the front row of that basketball game.

Counting football and men's and women's basketball games, Dale's painted up 237 times over the last six years. Counting his own graduation in the spring of 2007, he's painted up 238 times.

I'll stop right there-you get the picture. For those of you unacquainted, Dale has been showing up to basketball games in boxers, paint and a complete and unnerving lack of hair for six years, since he was a freshman at UConn. And despite moving on past this whole college thing, Dale is still here every night.

(To clear up a misconception, Dale does not possess a student season ticket. After he was awarded a free season ticket for the 2007-08 season, Dale bought a regular-price ticket for a seat somewhere in the upper reaches of Gampel Pavilion. UConn's athletic marketing office allows him to stand in the student section.)

But that may be coming to an end.

"[The athletic department] said this is probably going to be the last year of that," Nosel said. "So if I want to do it next year, I will have to take at least one class, unless they change their minds."

Some people may be out there rolling your eyes. "Oh, brother," you'd say (if this were 1957). "I don't want to hear about the weirdo guy who shows up to games half-naked."

But hear me out. I am here to ask you to appreciate the blue-and-white guy.

It's very easy to mock people, make jokes about people who stand out in some weird way. It doesn't take much to make a lame joke, get a cheap laugh and move on. (If you don't believe me, read the InstantDaily every day, or search for "Mandeldove" on DailyCampus.com.)

It's more difficult for someone to dedicate themselves to something, anything, whether it be academics, scientific breakthroughs, athletics or simply cheering really loudly for your team.

Continued...

Page 1 of 3 next >

Article Tools