Tailgate Contest to Take Place Prior to Cortaca Jug

By Matthew Price ’20, November 14, 2019

Ithaca College community to bring their best tailgating game to at MetLife Stadium.

Three young men posing for a photo by a grill

A group of Bombers fans tailgate before the homecoming football in game in 2018.

(Photo by Sheryl Sinkow/Ithaca College)

The 2019 Cortaca Jug Game at MetLife Stadium on November 16 will be a historic event for the Ithaca College community. But the school spirit isn’t just going to show up in the stands as the Bombers take on the Red Dragons.

The Ithaca College Office of Alumni Relations is hosting a tailgate contest for alumni, parents and IC faculty and staff prior to the game. A total of 25 tailgates have entered the contest, with some boasting hundreds of participants. Ithaca College Sport Management students will judge the entrants based on: best menu, best Ithaca College spirit and best overall tailgate.

Prizes up for grabs at the tailgating contest include Bombers-themed camping chairs. (Photo by Alison Walker ’20/Ithaca College)

Bombers-themed merchandise — including tables, chairs and a pop-up tent — will be awarded to the winning tailgates. Although maximum participation for the contest has been reached, fans who did not register will still have a chance go home with some swag. The judges will be scouring the parking lot in the morning, prizes in hand, with an eye out for tailgates that showcase something unique.

Maura Donovan, the college’s associate director of regional programs, sees the contest as a way to get fans involved in the festivities before the opening kickoff.

“When you think of a big football game, you think of tailgating,” she said. “I hope people come with their spirit and their pride for Ithaca College on display as soon as they pull into the parking lot.”