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I can't speak to Lincoln,  attended my first home game in 1985 (vs New Mexico) and then not until '91, both times I stayed in Omaha, and while people were tailgating, it wasn't a coordinated, branded, dedicated production, just all of the one offs with a grill and a few folding chairs.  For the record, I don't remember seeing any tailgating for my first ever college game, Nebraska at Hawaii in '82.

I still stress it was a big production at County Stadium for years and years, porta johns,  bands, stages and lots of beer tents, permanently installed grill facilities.  Not every single game mind you, but quite a few.  In many respects, not entirely though, that's why Miller Park was built where it is, and not downtown.  Tailgating was a big consideration.

Yeah buy my point is, those are commercially constructed events at a pro stadium.  They're set up like a festival.  The fact that it didn't happen for every game serves to emphasize that difference.

That's not really the same thing as tailgate parties, which grew up organically and grass-roots, from the fans.  It wasn't until the mid 90s (in my perspective) that they started to become more coordinated-- or even corporate-- events.  Which is essentially my point.

this season will mark my 18th Sharkwater party.  I know folks have been tailgating long before that at UNL.

I started taking my father's 5th-wheel camper to Lincoln for the weekend to avoid the hotel stays at a 2 night minimum and triple the normal rate.  Sleeping in the camper and bringing food and drink was much less expensive.

Before that there are plenty of bars within stumbling distance of Memorial Stadium...... obviously they are overcrowded, noisy, expensive.  If you have a large group it can be tough to arrange a big enough table to accommodate.

Tailgating is just like camping, it can be as much work or as little as you like.  How much crap do you want to haul in, set up to enjoy the experience

a cooler full of beverages is about the minimum, food??  Sammiches and chips or roast a whole hog??  it's up to you..  You want chairs, tables, awnings, big screen TVs, a stage for a live band.

if you think it's too much work, leave some of the crap at home in the garage.

I follow you Utee, but these were not sponsored by corps. or teams.  You paid the Brewers/County for the space you needed, and probably a tent permit and the public could do it.   Local taverns really started taking advantage of getting these, with little shuttle bus groups coming in, and eventually the Taverns got their own 'bus lot' for tavern tailgates.  You didn't take your kids over there.  In my early 20s, that's how I would choose to go to Opening Day, meet at the tavern at 7 am for a bloody mary and head out to the stadium by 8.   Yes, other dates in April and May didn't see a ton of groups, certainly not weeknights, but that was/is a common way people would do the tailgate during the season.   

 There were three large plots on the parking grounds where these large tailgates were told to set up.  This spawned over too many make-shift tents going up, which made getting in and out of spots a problem.  The grounds were run by the County, and they did permanently install the charcoal ash bins all over the lots so people wouldn't pour them into the trash cans and start fires.    People would hire and bring their own portable johns until the City/county started putting them out there, presumably to keep people from taking a knee behind the car.   It wasn't at all branded by the Brewers, they just made it easier for people to organize large groups, with the one offs doing their own thing in most of the rest of the parking lot.   For a year or two (much later) they threatened to only allow patrons with game tickets to buy parking passes on big dates,  like Opening Day, and certain weekend dates, as a lot of people wouldn't attend the game. (sounds familiar).

I follow you Utee, but these were not sponsored by corps. or teams.  You paid the Brewers/County for the space you needed, and probably a tent permit and the public could do it.  Local taverns really started taking advantage of getting these, with little shuttle bus groups coming in, and eventually the Taverns got their own 'bus lot' for tavern tailgates.  You didn't take your kids over there.  In my early 20s, that's how I would choose to go to Opening Day, meet at the tavern at 7 am for a bloody mary and head out to the stadium by 8.  Yes, other dates in April and May didn't see a ton of groups, certainly not weeknights, but that was/is a common way people would do the tailgate during the season. 

 There were three large plots on the parking grounds where these large tailgates were told to set up.  This spawned over too many make-shift tents going up, which made getting in and out of spots a problem.  The grounds were run by the County, and they did permanently install the charcoal ash bins all over the lots so people wouldn't pour them into the trash cans and start fires.    People would hire and bring their own portable johns until the City/county started putting them out there, presumably to keep people from taking a knee behind the car.  It wasn't at all branded by the Brewers, they just made it easier for people to organize large groups, with the one offs doing their own thing in most of the rest of the parking lot.  For a year or two (much later) they threatened to only allow patrons with game tickets to buy parking passes on big dates,  like Opening Day, and certain weekend dates, as a lot of people wouldn't attend the game. (sounds familiar).

Sounds nice.  And it also still sounds like a city/county sponsored festival event, not a tailgate party and once again, not really what we're talking about with respect to college football tailgate parties.  You have already agreed you didn't see anything like this in Lincoln. *shrug*

I'll add that I think the pro leagues/fans got started before college fans did, and I could guess at some of the reasons.  I attended Dallas Cowboys games with my folks in the early 80s and they had stuff that sounds similar to what you're describing.  But UT (and every other college football stadium I visited in the 80s and early 90s) did not.

I'd guess that one reason, is many schools either don't allow, or don't want to encourage, alcohol consumption on their campuses.  Pro organizations, on the other hand, have long embraced it.  The differences in amount of liability, and who exactly is liable, cause the business models to be quite different between the two.  I'm sure there are other reasons as well.

Regardless, tailgate parties grew up as a way to avoid traffic, spend some time with friends you might not see all that often, and maybe save some money on food/beer rather than buying it at the stadium or at expensive/crowded  bars and restaurants around campus.  It wasn't until quite recently in the grand scheme, that they became these large, corporate and/or charity sponsored, catering events.

Her's a pic from 1978 at County Stadium.  I wouldn't call this a corporate tailgate.

Her's a pic from 1978 at County Stadium.  I wouldn't call this a corporate tailgate.

Well that's an RV lot.  Not a tent or canopy.  


But that's certainly a great way to tailgate, we did it ourselves for almost a decade.  Show up Friday afternoon, set up the RV, maybe go out to dinner at a walkable restaurant nearby, then sleep in the lot.  Wake up Saturday morning and you're the first people down at the venue.  Drink all you want throughout the day and during the game, because you're not driving home that night.  

Plus down here, it meant having A/C all day long during the heat of August/September.  It was perfect when the kids were young, we'd line up 4-5 carriers and strollers and portable cribs full of babies, inside the RV all safe and sound.