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Longtime Rutgers fans honor fellow tailgater & friend lost to COVID-19 on opening weekend of college football

Despite the first true weekend of college football kicking off without Rutgers and the rest of the Big Ten playing, a group of longtime Scarlet Knight fans continued their annual fall tradition of tailgating together. Michael Porcelli hosted a group of about 50 people who typically tailgate in the purple lot, mostly comprised of several families, in the backyard of his central jersey home last Saturday. This was of course before the news that Big Ten football was returning, so the passion displayed was truly special.

The group, which was named Tailgaters of the Week by our site for the 2017 Eastern Michigan game, tried to replicate as much of the gameday experience as possible, while also practicing appropriate social distancing in accordance to state mandated guidelines for outdoor gatherings.