The football game on the Friday of September 3rd was one to remember, but not because of the actual game. This game was slightly different since the football players were not the stars this time. The celebrity of the Friday night game was the one and only Grandma Connie.
Connie Jacobs, the grandmother of color guard member, Madison Deckman, took over the student section during the Steinbrenner versus Tampa Bay Tech game. Even though Steinbrenner lost the game “Granny,” as the student section call her, brought some spark to the game. Not only was Mrs. Jacobs here to visit her granddaughter, but she had also come all the way from Louisiana. They were evacuating from a storm in their area.
When asked about the storm and evacuation Jacobs kept a positive outlook and said with a smile, “…we’re not calling it an evacuation. We’re calling it a vacation,” Connie Jacobs said.
It was odd seeing “Granny” in the front row of the busiest area in the stands, the student section, however she was accepted with open arms by the Steinbrenner students.
When Jacobs was asked about how she ended up at the student section she states, “Well I went to see Madison…and as I’m passing one of the students had his hand out, like a high five… so I kept hitting hands. And they said, come on granny, come up here. I said OK!” She ended up staying in the student section for about 5 minutes mingling with the students and then left.
She walked out of the crowded section waving goodbye like a queen and sending the students air kisses. Many didn’t want her to leave in the end. After that, she disappeared back to her husband and watched the game and her granddaughter’s color guard performance.
Jacob’s husband seemed amused and surprised by the whole situation with his wife getting invited onto the student section. He even cracked a joke about how she got “Lei-ed” by the Warriors since the theme was Hawaiian Luau.
By the end of the game, Grandma Connie was quite a celebrity with the Steinbrenner student section and brought some joy and excitement to the Friday night game in the midst of her evacuation from Louisiana. Many even posted her picture on their social media pages to share with their friends.
Saule Kondra // Staff Writer
