The making of a superfan: from different points of view

Keeping stats, holding season tickets and knowing players by name are descriptors of what something a huge fan of a sport might do. This can be unique to each person from remembering past plays to knowing the players and coaches by hand.

Through his mother working at the university for 35 years, John Spear started watching SEMO games during his childhood and hasn't stopped since. Through all the years of watching sports, one of his favorite games he’s seen took place in 2019.

“The [SEMO against] SIU game in 2019 was one of the best environments, atmospheres that I can remember in recent memory,” Spear said. “That was pretty amazing.”

Remembering your first game and what the score was, is unique to every fan. Southeast alum Felix Kinsley is a SEMO superfan. He graduated from Southeast in 1978, seeing his first college football game a year before at the 1977 homecoming game, when Southeast faced Truman State University. SEMO won.

“We beat them 10 to nothing,” Kinsley said.

Kinsley said one of his favorite players to watch was 2012 linebacker Blake Peiffer.

“He seemed to be always around the ball,” Kinsley said.

Since his first game in 1977, Kinsley said he’s been to approximately “70 or 80” football games throughout the years he’s spent watching SEMO sports.

For Joe Hobbs who’s a booster on the Redhawk Club Board, one of his favorite parts is getting to know everyone involved.

“For me, it's just getting to know the coaches and the players; my wife and I really love just getting to know them,” Hobbs said. “The current crop of coaches and student athletes that they've gotten are just really fantastic. We just love that, and we love supporting them.”

Hobbs said one thing everyone needs to do is be there in the seats on gameday.

“Students at SEMO need to get out and support their football team and all their athletics,” Hobbs said.