TRENTON, N.J. - Rutgers alumni who suffered through years of lackluster football while they were in college are now scattered across the country. But, on Thursday, die-hard Scarlet Knights boosters plan to reunite in restaurants and bars from Phoenix to Florida to cheer on their alma mater in the Texas Bowl.<br>
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Dawn Yamanouchi, a 1997 graduate and leader of the Rutgers Club of Arizona, said she was a Scarlet Knights fan even when ``there wasn't a whole lot to follow.''<br>
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``Some of the older folks graduated 40 or 50 years ago, so they've had decades of losing seasons,'' said Yamanouchi, 36, a human resources manager who expects 15 people at her gathering in Phoenix. ``Now they're just so excited that we have a program that's winning.''<br>
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With Rutgers enjoying its best season ever including a No. 7 ranking Yamanouchi said people no longer ask her where Rutgers University is when she's wearing her old college T-shirts.<br>
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``I'm just thrilled because I've always loved Rutgers,'' she said, pausing to call out Rutgers cheers and sing parts of the school's fight song. ``I love that people can recognize that you can't just beat up on us anymore.''<br>
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Like many of the other alumni clubs around the country, the Arizona group even has a few members attending the game in Houston, for which Rutgers sold 9,000 tickets.<br>
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One, 1961 graduate Bob Campel, also attended the school's previous bowl games in 2005 and 1978. He planned to attend a Rutgers pep rally and a pre-game tailgate party that is sold out.<br>
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Lou Koczela, who graduated in 1961 and is organizing a bowl-watching party for the Rutgers Club of San Diego, said he feels the school has ``finally risen.''<br>
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A fan of Rutgers football since he attended a game against Princeton University in 1957, Koczela said it was hard to follow the school because it didn't get a lot of coverage until this year. Now, though, the 67-year-old retired aerospace engineer watches the games at a local bar with 25 to 50 fellow alumni. He expects at least 50 will watch the team take on Kansas State.<br>
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``The Louisville game, it was like being at a fraternity party on campus,'' he said, referring to the team's 28-25 victory in November. ``For us old folks, it makes us want to cry tears of remembrance of being back there.''<br>
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In Denver, RU on the Rockies expects around 30 alumni to watch the game, member Rebecca Reynolds said. And in Boca Raton, Fla., Rutgers Club of the Greater Palm Beaches president Chuck Gaspari thinks at least 50 people with high hopes will show up for his bowl watching event.<br>
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``Now we've got something that's very realistic to cheer about,'' said Gaspari, a 44-year-old attorney and investment banker. ``Before people wouldn't expect anything, now people are encouraged.''<br>
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Having narrowly missed the chance to attend the Orange Bowl, Rutgers fans are simply hoping for the team's first bowl game victory. Jeff Karkula, a 1973 graduate and president of the Rutgers Club of Atlanta, said there's no doubt his team will win.<br>
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``We've got Kansas State,'' said the 56-year-old pharmacist, who expects to watch the game with about 60 other alumni. ``We're going to win big. We've got to.''<br>
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On the Net:<br>
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http://scarletknights.com/bowl/watching.asp
