At Madison Central, Tailgating Begins at the End (Zone).
If it’s Friday night and there’s a home game in town, there’s one place Madison Central High School parents, students, friends, and supporters want to be before the game clock even starts, and that’s the north end zone of the gridiron at Jaguar Stadium.
It’s here that Jag fans and tailgating meet – and everybody wins.
Now in its 17th year and going strong, the MCHS tailgate tradition began at “The Jungle” (a term of endearment for the expansive front grounds of the campus) in 2006, when Bobby Hall took the reins as head football coach. In 2015 the pre-game festivities moved to the north end zone, giving the team a chance to join in the reverie and greet their fans – and the party has been on ever since.
Celeste Bramlett, Assistant Athletic Director at Madison Central, said it was Brad Peterson, Madison Central’s new head football coach in fall 2015, who suggested the idea of moving the tailgating experience into the stadium.
The move proved to be a great success, as approximately 2,500 Jag fans regularly gather for good food, fellowship, and football – and, this fall, it also means an evening of cheering on the 2021 6A defending champions.
Madison Central Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Toby Collums agreed that the tailgate area brings a unique atmosphere to Madison Central on Friday nights.
“The experience the football players get every Friday night as they walk through the fans before they run onto the field is one they will likely never forget,” he said. “Knowing we have such a large part of the community behind us each Friday night is a huge boost for us and can be intimidating to visiting teams and fans."
With 60 to 65 tents occupying the valuable real estate in and around the end zone before, during, and (for some), after each game, the zone now bustles with enthusiastic fans and students of all ages, decked out in Jag gear and savoring the orange and blue atmosphere filled with signs, decorations, one-of-a-kind centerpieces, full-up ice chests, and, of course, tables brimming with tailgate fare.
Attendees may find an array of tent “styles” in the end zone, starting with the basic and tastefully outfitted pavilions (easy setups of tables, food, and small decorations) all the way up to “chandeliers, televisions, and themed decorations for each week,” Bramlett said.
Tailgate Foods and Fixings
For all its excitement, the heart of tailgating is really about the food – and the many volunteers who make the whole process work every Friday night.
One enthusiastic mom who has devoted much time and talent to making Madison Central tailgating so successful is Julie Tipton, whose skills and readiness to volunteer have long been an asset for the Madison County School District.
As the mother of three students (Sophie, 20; Simon, 18; and Stella, 16), who have each attended Madison schools over the past 15 years, she has chaired many PTO committees, sometimes serving on as many as three PTO boards at three schools at the same time. This football season, this MCHS 2021-2022 Parent of the Year will serve as the concession stand manager for Madison Central’s Band Booster Club.
Tipton’s impressive culinary background includes completing classes at the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris, followed by teaching cooking lessons and catering parties in Amsterdam. She now serves as cook and organizer for the mid-week service known as “Wednesdays at Madison” at Madison United Methodist Church, supervising the preparation of 250 to 300 meals each week.
She and her husband Chandler became football parents after their son Simon took up the sport in middle school and played through his senior year in high school, graduating last spring. Family tailgating became a ritual during his high school years – and her tailgate instincts blossomed.
“I have organized meals and helped feed the football teams at Madison Middle School, Rosa Scott, and Madison Central for the past six years,” she said.
“For me, tailgating is all about good food, good friends, and great Jaguar football. I love all the pre-game activities, but as a football mom, it was always hard for me to calm my nerves and enjoy all the delicious treats before the game.
“When Simon was playing for Madison Central, we only tailgated in 2019 and 2021 because of COVID-19, and my favorite part of tailgating was afterwards when we fed the football team and coaches in the end zone at our tents.
“The (football) players are tired and hungry after the games, and our tailgate group of seven families started feeding the team and the coaches at the end of each home game,” she said. “After the second home game in 2019, the word got out that we were sticking around after the games, and people from other tents started saving their leftover sandwiches, cold pizza, candy, cookies or whatever, and dropping it off at our tent. We just pushed more tables together and stayed later to get everybody fed.
“That’s what I love about our school. We are all such a strong family, and that attitude comes from Coach Collums and all our great coaches. Nobody feels like they are competing for ‘best tent.’ People bring what they can and enjoy the experience. It’s about parents, kids, and friends having a good time together.”
Tipton’s favorite types of food for tailgating include dishes like barbequed meatballs, sliders, hearty dips and chips, sausage and cheese platters, party mixes, brownies, any kinds of finger food, and plenty of bottled water in the coolers.
Bramlett emphasized the positive impact the tailgate tradition has created on campus.
“Tailgating has made Friday night lights at Madison Central more of a communitywide event than just a sporting event,” she said. “Many elementary school families who do not yet have children involved in sports join the tailgate area on Friday night to cheer on the Jags, and attendance has drastically improved since the addition of tailgating.
“School spirit at Madison Central has always been outstanding, and the tailgate area just adds one more space where this can be displayed.”
Trends in Tailgating for the Fans Who Have Everything
