The Tailgate Connect® Podcast — College Football, NFL & The Game Day Life

The Big House holds 107,000 people. Ann Arbor becomes one of the largest cities in Michigan on game day. And Spot 9 Tailgate has been hosting in the shadow of it all since 2007 — named after a parking spot they refused to give up even when the lot reassigned them to spot 14.

Joey Mortiere, owner of Spot 9 Tailgate, joins Luke to talk about growing up going to Michigan games as a kid, how the tailgate evolved from a one-tent setup to a full trailer with two 60-inch TVs and a roof deck, and what it actually means to host fans from Fresno State, USC, and everywhere in between at the most famous stadium in America. Plus: the time Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons showed up, and Eli Manning's undercover Chad Powers moment in between tailgates. Note: This episode contains explicit language.

What we cover: The origin of the Spot 9 name (they stole the sign back) · Growing up going to Michigan games — the dad with the Smoky Joe · The full Spot 9 setup — trailer, 60-inch TVs, roof deck, scratch food · Why Ann Arbor is a special tailgate destination · Hosting guests from all over the country through Tailgate Connect · When Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons visited · The Eli Manning / Chad Powers moment

He pitched QB54 on Shark Tank. He's in over 200 Dick's Sporting Goods stores. Michael Strahan has played it. And it took him eight years to become an overnight success — all while running the business out of his house in New Jersey with his family.

Mike Silva, creator of QB54, joins Luke to tell the full story behind the game that turns two tailgate chairs into a full football experience — completions, touchdowns, interceptions, and all. He goes behind the scenes of the Shark Tank experience, talks about what it took to get from idea to national retail, and shares exactly why Tom Brady would lose to him in a game of QB54.

What we cover: What QB54 is and how it turns tailgate chairs into a football game · The Shark Tank experience and what really happened behind the scenes · 8 years to get to Dick's Sporting Goods and Steve Harvey's Thunderdome · Michael Strahan playing the game · The Jets/Bills parking lot incident that became video gold · Why an overnight success takes 8-9 years · Dream retail placement: Costco · Dream opponent: Tom Brady (Mike wins, no question)

It started in 1998 with Ricky Williams's Heisman run, a guy selling bootleg t-shirts in a parking lot, and two college kids who thought: we should make a tailgate to sell our own shirts. Twenty-five years later, Hornball Tailgaters is one of the most established tailgating institutions at the University of Texas — and Ryan Lepper has the stories to prove it.

Ryan joins Luke to walk through the full 25-year evolution of Hornball, how the tailgate survived and grew through COVID, what it looks like to host hundreds of guests through Tailgate Connect, and why Austin's tailgate scene is more than just the Longhorns — it's a culture.

What we cover: 25 years of Hornball — the full origin story · How it started: bootleg t-shirts, Ricky Williams, and a parking lot epiphany · Growing through COVID and coming out stronger · Hosting guests from Fresno State, USC, and across the country · What makes Austin and UT's tailgate scene unique in the Big 12 · Dream tailgate guest: Alex Smith (and his wife's famous photo) · Post Malone officially invited to Hornball Tailgaters

The number 409 means one thing at Penn State: it was Joe Paterno's win total, and it stands for success with honor. Andrew Goldberg built his tailgate around that idea in 2016 — and 409 Tailgate Club has been a Happy Valley institution ever since. Crab cakes. Pulled pork nachos. Bloody Mary mix. A fireball girl. And a Bloody Mary sauce company called GoldHen that started as a tailgate tradition.

Andrew joins Luke to talk about what makes Penn State one of the top three tailgate destinations in college football, the time Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and Allen Robinson showed up at the tailgate at the same time, and the infamous Eli Manning / Chad Powers moment that happened right next to his setup.

What we cover: The 409 number and its meaning at Penn State · Building 409 Tailgate Club from a passion project to a brand · Crab cakes and pulled pork nachos as the signature dishes · GoldHen Bloody Mary mix — use code TGC for 10% off · The time Saquon, Micah Parsons, and Allen Robinson showed up · Eli Manning's Chad Powers visit right next to the tailgate · What makes Happy Valley different from Philly (completely opposite vibe) · The Grove at Ole Miss — Andrew's favorite tailgate outside PSU

Most people don't think of Utah when they think of tailgating. That's exactly the problem Ryan Lufkin is fixing — one spectacular tailgate at the base of the Wasatch Mountains at a time. The Utah Pig Bus has been one of the most distinctive tailgate setups in the Mountain West for years, with scratch food, a dedicated fan community, and one of the most underrated game day atmospheres in college football.

Ryan joins Luke to talk about tailgating assumptions vs tailgating reality in Salt Lake City, the evolution from a parking lot setup to a full traveling operation, and his best attempts to get Post Malone — a self-proclaimed Utah resident who once wore a University of Utah hat — to finally come to a tailgate.

What we cover: Why Utah tailgating surprises everyone who visits · The Utah Pig Bus origin story and the full setup · What it means to host fans from across the country in SLC · The view of the Wasatch Mountains from Gardensman lot · Post Malone's open invitation (he lives there, he has the hat) · Alex Smith and his wife's famous photo at Fan Fest · Dream guest: Post Malone (the manifesting is real)

She's a former television news anchor, the mother of five kids who prefer Taco Bell over her cooking (her words), and one of the most practical voices in tailgate food strategy. Shanisty Ireland joins Luke to give both home gaters and stadium tailgaters the tips they actually need — including the most underrated advice in all of tailgate food: ask your guests to bring something.

Shanisty covers everything from make-ahead meals (mac and cheese casserole frozen weeks in advance), to why handhelds always win at the tailgate, to the argument for tailgating at any sport — Masters, baseball, whatever gets people together. She's a Bears fan, an Alabama fan, and a Kentucky basketball fan who lives in Columbus, Ohio, which she acknowledges makes no sense.

What we cover: Home gating vs tailgating — what changes and what doesn't · The make-ahead strategy: mac and cheese casserole weeks in advance · Why handhelds, dips, and wings always win at a tailgate · The "ask guests to bring something" tip that hosts always skip · What sport makes the best tailgate besides football · Why you can't lose a tailgate if you do it right · Favorite tailgate visit: Alabama is at the top of the list

Three million people are on the waitlist. The K-Club is the only way to guarantee your spot. And Brett Loftis is the 24-year-old broadcast entertainer who gets to be in the middle of it all — as the voice and energy of the Texas Tailgaters in Banana Ball's first year of having a full six-team league.

Brett joins Luke to break down what the Texas Tailgaters are, what Banana Ball looks like to someone who's never seen it, how a kid from the Carolinas auditioned in a cowboy hat, and what it feels like to be part of an organization that had more people on its waitlist than most US states have residents.

What we cover: What are the Texas Tailgaters and where do they fit in Banana Ball · What Banana Ball looks like to a first-time viewer · How Brett got the job — audition tape and a cowboy hat · The Texas Tailgaters' first-year identity and what sets them apart · How to get tickets (3M waitlist, K-Club is the move) · The K-Club name explained (potassium on the periodic table is K) · Brett's vision for what Banana Ball becomes

He started hosting tailgates because he wanted to throw a party in a parking lot. Three years later, The Experience with Buckeye Mobile Entertainment is one of the most distinctive tailgating setups near the Schottenstein Center — with a live DJ, axe throwing, a private restroom on the tailgate trailer, and 60-115 fans showing up every home game ready to go from eight in the morning.

Maurice joins Luke to talk about what it took to build from year one, how hosting at Ohio State is different from any other market, the European guests who showed up through Tailgate Connect and loved every second of it, and why noon kickoffs are the villain of the tailgate world.

What we cover: Starting a tailgate business from scratch — what the first years taught him · Live DJ, axe throwing, and what sets The Experience apart · 60-70 guests per game with a peak of 115 for the Michigan game · European fans through Tailgate Connect who loved the chili-and-dressing spread · Tailgate trailer with a private bathroom (no porta potty lines) · 10-minute walk to Ohio Stadium — the best location near the Shoe · Why noon kickoffs are hard on everyone involved

19 years ago, Craig Renfro and his wife sat down and brainstormed what they liked to do. The answers: drink beer, cook on a grill, watch sports. They searched for any media covering it and found nothing. So they started Tailgater Magazine — the only tailgating magazine that exists — out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and have been publishing it ever since.

Craig joins Luke to talk about over a thousand college and professional events attended in his lifetime, what it takes to build a media brand in the tailgating space, how COVID nearly shut everything down but didn't, why LSU fans are the best and worst simultaneously, and what the world would look like if it operated the way a parking lot does before a game.

What we cover: 19 years of Tailgater Magazine — how it started and how it survived · The search for tailgating media that didn't exist · Attending 1000+ sports events: Rangers, NASCAR, NFL, college · The LSU tailgate experience — the best food and the funniest crowd shift · How COVID hit the magazine and how they recovered · Why 13 years of Tailgating Challenge and 19 of Tailgater Magazine are more similar than different · What the world would look like if it operated like a tailgate parking lot

In 2022, Ben Chase loaded up a Dodge Grand Caravan named Betty White, quit his job, and set out to attend as many college football games as possible in a single season. He hit 77 games in 135 days, drove through all 48 continental US states, and took 70 kids to a game in Tampa after connecting with a USF athletic director on the road. Guinness wouldn't officially track it. He doesn't care.

Ben joins Luke to talk about what possessed him to do it, how Betty White blew her transmission at game 36 and he just kept going on a rental car, the best tailgates he found across the country, and why the Great American Road Trip is dying — and college football is one of the best reasons to bring it back.

What we cover: 77 games in 135 days — the full journey · All 48 continental states on one road trip · Betty White the Dodge Grand Caravan — and the transmission story · Taking 70 kids to a USF game through a connection on the road · The best tailgate scenes Ben found across the country · Bacon-wrapped gator bites and regional tailgate food traditions · Why the Great American Road Trip is dying and why it matters · Ticket surge pricing and when to buy