In one row, a UND band marched and played the school’s fight song -- engaging onlookers who sang and clapped -- as they led Fighting Hawk football players to the Alerus Center at noon, about two hours before kick-off.
UND and NDSU fans relished the pregame festivities before the match which pitted fifth-ranked NDSU against 10th-ranked UND. Saturday’s contest marked the first time in 18 years the teams have played in Grand Forks.
“It’s extremely exciting,” said Julie Maag, whose son, Garett Maag, is a UND senior, wide receiver and one of the team captains. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time, so it’s so special.”
Maag, from Bayport, Minn., expected the Hawks to play a “very physical” game against the Bison, she said, noting that UND “is very strong on defense.”
Tailgating with her husband, Troy Maag, and others, she said she hoped that UND would play well in terms of “just, overall, not turning over the ball.”
Ron Erickson, a 1975 UND alumnus, was optimistic about UND’s prospects.
“If it’s close at halftime, they’ve got a chance -- hopefully their running game is going to be OK,” he said. “Everybody’s saying they’re going to get blown out; I don’t think so. I hope they win.”
Weaving through the throngs of fans -- talking, eating, laughing, drinking, greeting friends -- the energy was palpable. Amid blaring music, several fans engaged in cornhole competition, and members of the UND Cheer Team traipsed up and down rows selling 50/50 raffle tickets to raise funds for their team.
A few Bison fans wearing tall, dome-shaped, fuzzy headgear -- complete with horns -- paraded through the crowds.
UND’s colors, green and black, dominated the scene in the sea of hyped-up tailgaters, fueled by beer, chips and an assortment of hamburgers, brats and barbecued meats. Green and gold, for NDSU, were less prevalent, but fans from both camps seemed to easily and cordially intermingle.
Anita and Loren Zavalney, of Park River, N.D., tailgating for the first time, were eager to route for their son, Adam, a tight end for UND, and the rest of the team.
“We have a whole entourage here,” Anita said of the many family members who joined them in tailgating.
“There’s so much pressure” on the players, she said. “I told (Adam) to just enjoy it.
“As a parent, you get so worked up, I have to calm myself down. I just hope he doesn’t get hurt.”
“It’s been so much fun,” she said. “It’s been a great, fun ride.”
During the game, she said she would be looking for “some sneaky plays” that UND uses to gain advantage over opponents.
Although the UND-NDSU rivalry runs deep, the Zavalneys enjoy a long-time friendship with NDSU grads Dave and Jana Hankey, of Park River, whose son Jackson is a Bison linebacker.
“I get more nervous for this game than most others,” Jana Hankey said.
“(The Bison) have a lot of depth in all positions,” Jana said.
“It’s so cool” that the state’s biggest universities’ teams have returned to the field, she said. “It’s just great for the state that the rivalry is on again. A lot of people in Park River are cheering for both teams.”
Former UND head football coaches, Roger Thomas and Dale Lennon, both of Bismarck, were part of the tailgating fun and seemed to be enjoying the chance to reconnect with friends and former players.
Former UND Fighting Sioux coaches Roger Thomas, left, and Dale Lennon catch up during tailgating before Saturday's UND-NDSU rivalry game at the Alerus Center- the first time NDSU has played in Grand Forks since 2003. Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
The three recent Hall of Fame inductees were “(players) I recruited and coached,” said Thomas, who served as coach and athletic director at UND for almost 20 years. “This is like old home week -- it’s such a fraternity of friends.”
The UND-NDSU game is a highlight for each team, he said. “Everybody has so much fun with this. I’m just glad it’s back.”
“Everybody gets so emotional for the game,” Thomas said. “They might blow the roof off this place,” but he hoped that the Hawks would “just relax and play to their capabilities.”
In Bismarck, he said, “Everywhere you go -- to neighborhood coffee shops and the like -- everybody wants to talk about the game. It’s the Super Bowl of North Dakota.”
“Look at this. Who doesn’t enjoy this?” Thomas said, surveying the crowd.
Lennon, who played football under Thomas, served as a coach with him and later followed him as head coach at UND, is athletic director for the University of Mary in Bismarck. He led UND to a national championship.
UND last played NDSU in Grand Forks in 2003 when Lennon was head coach.
“I have a lot of positive memories from that game,” he said.
Reigniting the rivalry “is long overdue -- I hope it can return to the glory it once had.”
With the eyes of an experienced coach, Lennon said Saturday he’d be “looking at the match-ups and how UND is able to address the physical-ness of NDSU. It’s a classic match-up of strength against strength. And that’s usually the formula for a pretty exciting game.”
Both Lennon and Thomas were optimistic that the teams will meet again on the gridiron.
“The rivalry is back,” Lennon said. "It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
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Tailgating tradition offers exciting lead-up to clash of UND and NDSU football teams - Grand Forks Herald
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