Blue tents and Blue Devil flags rise into the sky as early as 6 a.m. Kids in too-big Duke t-shirts scramble to catch footballs. Former players pop beer tabs to muse about the game spread. An array of hard hats, cornhole boards and (inactive) pyrotechnics fills the parking lot behind Wallace Wade Stadium.
Duke football’s record aside, the Wade Wackos show up on gameday.
Matt Tedder, a leader of the “Hard Hat Guys,” has been a season-ticket holder since 2008. He hasn’t missed a game, home or away, in 10 years; he remembers the record-setting 10-4 run under coach David Cutcliffe in 2013 just as vividly as Duke’s 2023 double-overtime loss to North Carolina. Over the years, his tailgating group has become an emblem of Blue Devil football culture thanks to its signature Duke hard hats.
Cutcliffe inspired the headwear when he wore a construction helmet while bulldozing the track around the field in 2014. When Tedder and his friends began wearing them at games to cheer on the Blue Devils, the tradition stuck.
“We started very small and we grew into something that’s almost unmanageable,” Tedder said. “But we have a very good time.”
Tedder travels to Durham from Winston-Salem for home games, picking up his father and friends along the 90-minute commute. Though nobody in the group attended Duke, their support of the Blue Devils has made them a cornerstone of the football community. Over 120 people pick up food from the Hard Hat Guys’ tailgate each game — including the families of many players.
“The last game of the season is about as hard for us as it is for some of the parents, because we lose the player and the parent when they leave," Tedder said.
For other tailgaters, Duke football has always been a family affair. Former tight end and captain Tielor Robinson, who played as a Blue Devil from 2006-08, hosts his own tailgate at every home game. Its list of attendees could double as a Duke roster.
Robinson’s uncle, Cedric Jones, was the star wide receiver, captain and MVP of Duke’s 1981 team before embarking on a nine-year NFL career. Another uncle, Walter Jones, played wide receiver on the 1989 Duke team that finished first in the ACC. Robinson’s twin cousins — Colin and Cameron Jones — played alongside him in Blue Devil uniforms for two years.
All gather at Robinson’s tailgate with their families and other former teammates. As they root for Duke from the other side of the dome, they strive to be the fans that they wished to see as players.
“Every game I’ve been to in the last four or five years has had more fans in it than my whole five-year playing career,” Robinson said. “It’s great to see everyone excited about Duke football and excited about the potential.”
Some tailgates look no further than royal blue and the Blue Devil for their tent themes. Others, like Paul Schaefer, get a little more creative.
He has converted rocket fuselage into a fully-functioning grill, which he uses to feed up to 50 people each home game. The fiery, light-festooned tribute to Duke football combines 35 years of chef experience with his knowledge as the owner of a rocketry startup.
“I guess some of us like to be the center of attention,” Schaefer said.
Not many students have seen the rocket grill, but fans who tailgate in the back lot recognize it as a fixture of Duke football fandom. It embraces the qualities Blue Devil supporters have come to identify with: devotion, dedication and a little craziness.
“We’re die-hard loyalists,” Schaefer said of his tailgating group. “We want to try to pump up the crowd and that’s why we do as much as we can.”
As Duke finds more momentum on the field, new game day enhancements like the Devils Deck and a rotating DJ set hope to boost fan culture. The changes have inspired excitement among the Wade Wackos, who see the parking lot and its rich trove of traditions as a Blue Devil community ready to grow.
“I want to see more involvement outside,” Schaefer said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm built up, looking for a place to go.”
For now, the tailgates remain firmly planted behind the stadium. Tedder, Robinson and Schaefer hope their perennial support will merge with the next era of Duke football, spreading traditions — and a little wackiness — to new fans.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.