Sports fans have been an important part of the explosive success both collegiate and professional athletics has enjoyed. In 2013 a recognition award show was created to honor fans and their contribution to the sports industry it's called the What A Fan Awards. Its been held in Orlando Florida but will be relocated to Los Angeles California in 2016. Over the coming weeks we're going to introduce you to some of the countries most devoted fans of all genres of sports in their own words.
I've been called the wolfman since 1991 because it always takes me three to four months before I will shave or get a hair cut eventually it stuck and I started marking all my tools with wolfman, in 1997 or 98 I started ordering pieces of my wolfman costume and started walking around with my daughters for Halloween with my costume and wolfman jersey with the number 21 on it from the NFL shop and people loved it and would fallow us around and take pics, but I always wanted to do more but didn't know how until I joined the knights of the shield booster club in Fresno. I went to one meeting and I was very out spoken with my wife tugging on my pants telling me to sit down everyone is staring at us, the club was asking for ideas on super bowl Sunday I offered my inflatable screen sounds doing system and project the club president asked to speak with me after the meeting, I said ok and my wife pinched me and said now you did it she thought I was getting kicked out. By the second meeting the club president Albert and vice president Mario pulled me to the side and said since you like to volunteer so much how would you like be the adviser for the club I said yes and my wife said no!!!!!!! I told her this is what I've been looking for for so long I really want to do this, she looked at me and said ok but I got my eye on you, I replied ok with a very big smile before you new it I was helping out organizing events blood drives and tailgates then came the gorilla rilla's wedding that we where asked to host I told the club president that I dress up as the wolfman and turned to me and said how long have you been doing that I replied for a long time, he asked me if I would dress up at gorilla rilla's wedding I said I could but I'm the photographer. I started dressing up for every club event there after. After my second year as the adviser I thought there was more that I could do so I ran for affixed at the steering committee for the Oakland Raiders in Oakland, this is the board where all the booster clubs meet up to talk about up coming events and put together the commitment to excellence award dinner. I was voted in as treasure, I was a little intimidated but dove in head first and didn't look back my wife said are you happy now ,now your going to be really busy between your wolfman events traveling, adviser job and now treasure are you sure you're done now .I told her don't worry I can handle it, three months later I stepped down as adviser to allow another member to join me in Oakland for the meetings then I was asked if I would step in as vice president at the knights of the shield 209 club in Modesto and I accepted the nomination. One week later I had a meeting in Oakland an event for the veterans in Oakland, a meeting in Modesto and an event for a little girl that past away from a stray bullet that tragic lyrics took her life in Fresno. Unfortunately I made it to all but the event in Fresno that was when I decided to step down as VP in Modesto. Although I'm still the treasure in Oakland for the steering committee I keep busy every weekend as the wolfman all year long and I'm on the committee that presents the commitment to excellence award to one current player chosen by the current team and help out with putting together the c.t.e dinner every year.
What triggered your passion for sports?
I was just a kid wanting to play out side when my cousin asked me to sit down and Finnish watching the cowboy's verses the Oakland Raiders, my cousin said this is supposed to be a good game the Raiders are a very tough team to beat. I didn't like football but I watched it anyways, dude was a word that kept coming out of my mouth the Oakland Raiders were kicking some butt and have you ever a cowboy try to jump up and over for a touch down against the Raiders oh my god, I don't remember who it was that tried to do it butt he get nailed from his left side then his right side he looked like a helicopter propeller spinning in place before he finally hit the ground I was hooked ,after that I wanted to see all the raider games after that guys where getting hit from both sides and leaving in stretchers wow!!!! I still keep these memories of my fist game Raiders verses cowboy's.
Favorite sports moment?
Getting to take my daughters to there first game my youngest daughter Evelyn did the punt pass and kick competition and got to go on the field during half time I was really proud of her and loved seeing the look on both my girls faces at the game.
Who would you like to meet and why?
Marcus Allen , watching him running for touch downs never got old.
What charitable programs are you involved with?
The Margery Mason Center for battered women and children in Fresno California.
How was your character created?
I joined the carpenters union on June 10, 1990 and I would go to Union meeting's every month and the president of things carpenters local 701 would always give me crap about my hair it would take 3 to 4 months for me to cut my hair and shave my face so within a year I was being called wolfman by Gene then it spread out to job sites, eventually I was only known as the wolfman not John or Johnny just wolfman all my personal tools had wolfman written on then then out of the blue I bought a wolfman mask and hands then searched for feet every Halloween but I couldn't find the feet. My wife gave me a NFL gift card so I looked on line and ordered my jersey number 21 with choice of name I chose to have the wolfman put on the back ,eventually I learned more about the Internet and found my feet finally it was complete, I would walk with my kids for Halloween and take pics with all kinds of people but it wasn't until I join the booster club and started seeing the different super fans at the gorilla rilla's wedding that I started going to more and more events as the wolfman, me being shy went out the back door and I'm still going strong not willing to stop for anything except for my kids only they have the power to stop me luckily these enjoy what I do so long as they get to there seats in time for kick off.
What would winning the What A Fan Award mean to you?
Winning this award would be like a big warm hug and thank you for all the crazy hours that goes in to doing what I do between the wolfman and my different positions that I have and had ,but most of all knowing that my kids will be so proud of me and all my accomplishments as a Raider fan and as a father.
Learn more about the What A Fan Awards by visiting www.whatafanshow.com and if you or someone you know are devoted, passionate and fanatic sports fans let them know they too could be Nominated for this honor! #Fans247 #whatafan #whatafanawards #SportsFansConference
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