It’s a bird? It’s a plane? No, its Super Fan! Chances are anyone who has ever attended a U.W.-Oshkosh sporting event has seen an older gentleman dancing in the stands during half time, yelling at the players, and slapping hands with UWO athletes as they take the court. He is called the Super Fan. Super Fan amazes UWO students with his super human powers to attend every sporting event, even those happening simontaneously as others. “He'll mention how he really hopes to get to see the gymnastics team perform while still getting to cheer on the runners and fielders on Saturday,” commented Dusty Dorshorst, a runner on the UWO track team. Super Fan doesn’t just stop at sporting events, he also attends music and theatre events. “He's sure to find either the actors or the singers after and tell them how good they were,” stated UWO theatre arts major Carter Wedl.
So who is the Super Fan? His name is Wayne Zwieg, a 1973 graduate from Oshkosh with a radio/TV/film major with an emphasis in speech. Even in his fifties, Zwieg continues to be UWO’s biggest and most prominent fan. “He’s so pumped about any UWO sport. I really think that anyone who has ever been to a UWO sporting event has heard of him,” stated UWO student Katrina Cibulka. Zwieg currently resides in Oshkosh, but commutes to Appleton everyday where he works in the sales department of Pitney Bowes. Occasionally, he will use vacation days to attend UWO road games. He has been spotted cheering on the Titans in Green Bay, Stevens Point, and Whitewater. “He doesn't have to know who you are. If you wear the black and yellow, in his mind, you are worth cheering for,” stated Dorshorst.
Zwieg has also shown his appreciation to athletes in other ways than just cheering and dancing in the stands. He used to present players with personalized poems at the end of the season as a gift. He sometimes goes right down track-side pointing ahead to the finish with one arm while windmilling the other. Super Fan also likes to sit directly behind the score table so he can be close to the opposing team’s fans so they are aware of his presence. The Titans have shown their appreciation for Zwieg too. In the past they have given him autographed apparel and foam seats to make his job a little bit easier. Now he always has something to wear and sit on at the games.
The UWO Titans aren’t Zwieg’s only favorite team to root for. He has Milwaukee Wave season tickets and goes to an occasional Brewers game, as well. His favorite professional football team is the Indianapolis Colts. Athletes can always spot him at chilly football games and cross country meets because he’s wearing his Colts jacket. “He is purely a sports fan in every aspect. Not the kind of stats junky that seems to just watch Sports Center 24/7, but the guy who just loves to be around the action and really encourage athletes,” commented Dorshorst
The Super Fan knows most of the Titans are not on scholarship and compete at UWO purely for the love of the sport, and to him, that is something worth cheering for. Dorshorst summed up Zwieg’s presence with one statement, “He is one of the few people at the sporting events that are not athletes, not coaches or faculty persons, not students, not parents, not news broadcasters. He's just a fan. THE fan.”
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