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Propane, beanbags and several inflatable Otto the Oranges filled the Manley North Parking Lot on Saturday as Syracuse tailgates returned ahead of the Orange’s home opener against Rutgers. The first tailgate shuffled in the parking lot early on Saturday morning for the first time in nearly two years after COVID-19 forced the party to remain at home.

The famous North Manley Crew was back in action for its 21st season at Manley. The group has tailgated before SU football games since the 1980s and moved to the Manley lot in 1999. 

“We love the aspect of being right on Comstock,” organizer Gary Anastasio said. “We have people who walked past us on Comstock 10 years ago, and now they’re part of our family.”

The North Manley Crew was by far the largest single group at the venue, but it was just one of many food-filled tents. Some people were tailgating for the first time, while others were 15-year veterans. And some were families with small children. 

The smell of burgers, hot dogs and beers filled the air, lingering onto Comstock Avenue. In the front of a grassy strip in the middle of the lot, an air-powered fighting Otto stood tall next to an inflatable, overflowing beer glass that says “The Party’s Here,” as well as a 10-foot Syracuse flag.

Bob Briggs and his friends have been tailgating at Manley since the early 2000s, and their layout, complete with a “Cuse” bar and a bright yellow CBS Sports banner, set a tone that locals got behind — literally.

A crowd of over 40 people broken into small groups occupied the grass strip behind Briggs and his crew, listening to music, watching football on TV and tossing footballs with whomever they could find.

The experience was different under every tent. Some layouts had nothing but a table with chips and salsa dropped out of a paper bag, while others had burgers and hot dogs flowing off the sides of the table and into the arms of nearby fans.

Other groups were sprinkled throughout the lines of the parking lot, most sporting a cornhole set and a television blaring the voice of Rece Davis, host of College GameDay, throughout the parking lot.

“We bleed Orange, so as long as you’re an SU fan you’re welcome here,”Amber Trask, a local Syracuse mother of three said.

One group with a plastic table, a half-filled bag of groceries and a grill, had prime real estate at the south end of the lot, right off Comstock. It was one of just a few groups with no tent and had the only table with no napkins.

“He came in looking like Larry the Cable Guy,” Ed Collins said, signaling toward his friend. “Just the beers straight out of the bag, no napkins and no spices.”

Collins joked about his wife Tandy being “the group mom,” saying that as long as she takes over the preparations next time, “it’ll be a party.”

Decades ago the North Manley Crew started with a couple of friends cooking burgers off Comstock. Now, the group has several tents, an Otto-themed bar and more food than they can eat at every game day. Collins and his friends are going for a similar effect. 

“Come back by the Clemson game, and we’ll have it all decked out like those guys,” Collins said as he pointed to the North Manley Crew setup.

Published on September 15, 2021 at 10:03 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu