Giles Pellerin
Encyclopedia
Giles L. Pellerin nicknamed the Superfan or Super Fan, was an American
telephone company executive and a fan
of the University of Southern California Trojans (USC) college football
team, notable for having attended 797 consecutive USC football games over a period of 73 years until his death at age 91. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Pellerin's streak began in 1925, while he was still a student at USC (he graduated in 1930). During his streak he attended USC games in 75 stadiums in over 50 cities. Until his death, he had watched every game played in USC's major football rivalries, including 68 games with UCLA
and 69 games with Notre Dame
. He had seen the introduction of USC icons such as Traveler
in 1927 and Tommy Trojan in 1930. He had witnessed all but one of USC's bowl game
s, including the regular-season Mirage Bowl in Tokyo
, Japan
in 1985
. During his streak USC went 532-225-40, winning nine national championships
, and played under ten different head coaches.
Pellerin never played football himself. A resident of the Pasadena
area for his entire life, he attended his first USC football game while still a student at Huntington Park High School
, going to the 1923
Rose Bowl Game
in which USC defeated Penn State
. It was USC's first appearance in the Rose Bowl, and Pellerin would go on to see the Trojans' next 27 appearances as well. In his private life, Pellerin married and became a successful telephone company executive. He delayed his own 1935 honeymoon
by eight months in order to combine it with a USC football road game (against the University of Hawaii
in Honolulu), and donated over $
1.3 million to USC to endow four athletic scholarship
s: three for football and one for swimming
. Pellerin claimed to have traveled over 650,000 miles and spent over $100,000 to attend the games in his streak (as of 1996). In 1949, he walked out of a hospital just five days after an appendectomy in order to attend a home game, telling nurses that he was going for a walk.
USC embraced Pellerin and began including his story in their annual football media guide
. By the 1990s he had become a subject for many sports journalists, including stories in USA Today
and Sports Illustrated
and on the ABC Network
. In 1995, Pellerin was enshrined in the USC Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the second class of inductees. He won the first annual Sears Diehard Fan Award as "America's NCAA Division I Diehard College Sports Fan" in 1996.
Pellerin died during the 1998 UCLA-USC rivalry
game (ironically that game concluded UCLA's 8-game winning streak). During the game, he felt ill and asked his next-younger brother, Oliver Pellerin, who was attending the game with him, to take him home. As he was being brought outside, he died of cardiac arrest
in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl
, which was coincidentally the same location where he attended his first USC game.
His younger brothers also had long streaks. Oliver viewed 637 consecutive games (1945–2001), passing away in 2002 at age 93; the youngest, Max Pellerin, at one point had a streak of 300+, passing away in 2001 at age 91.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
telephone company executive and a fan
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
of the University of Southern California Trojans (USC) college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team, notable for having attended 797 consecutive USC football games over a period of 73 years until his death at age 91. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Pellerin's streak began in 1925, while he was still a student at USC (he graduated in 1930). During his streak he attended USC games in 75 stadiums in over 50 cities. Until his death, he had watched every game played in USC's major football rivalries, including 68 games with UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
and 69 games with Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
. He had seen the introduction of USC icons such as Traveler
Traveler (mascot)
Traveler is a horse who is the mascot of the University of Southern California. He appears at all USC home football games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as well as many other outdoor events, including numerous Rose Parades. The current horse is Traveler VII...
in 1927 and Tommy Trojan in 1930. He had witnessed all but one of USC's bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s, including the regular-season Mirage Bowl in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1985
1985 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season saw the Oklahoma Sooners, led by head coach Barry Switzer, win the national championship.Oklahoma finished the season 11-1, with their only loss to Miami at home, in a game future NFL star Troy Aikman was lost for the season...
. During his streak USC went 532-225-40, winning nine national championships
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
, and played under ten different head coaches.
Pellerin never played football himself. A resident of the Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
area for his entire life, he attended his first USC football game while still a student at Huntington Park High School
Huntington Park High School
Huntington Park High School is a public high school in Huntington Park, California, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.-History:...
, going to the 1923
1923 Rose Bowl
The 1923 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1923, was an American Football bowl game. It was the 9th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 14-3. Leo Calland, a USC guard, was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were...
Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in which USC defeated Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
. It was USC's first appearance in the Rose Bowl, and Pellerin would go on to see the Trojans' next 27 appearances as well. In his private life, Pellerin married and became a successful telephone company executive. He delayed his own 1935 honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
by eight months in order to combine it with a USC football road game (against the University of Hawaii
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
in Honolulu), and donated over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.3 million to USC to endow four athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
s: three for football and one for swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. Pellerin claimed to have traveled over 650,000 miles and spent over $100,000 to attend the games in his streak (as of 1996). In 1949, he walked out of a hospital just five days after an appendectomy in order to attend a home game, telling nurses that he was going for a walk.
USC embraced Pellerin and began including his story in their annual football media guide
Media guide
A media guide is a sports-related press kit, distributed as a book or binder, and published by American sporting teams before the start of the sporting season. It features information relating to the team players, history, statistical records and other similar items...
. By the 1990s he had become a subject for many sports journalists, including stories in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and on the ABC Network
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. In 1995, Pellerin was enshrined in the USC Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the second class of inductees. He won the first annual Sears Diehard Fan Award as "America's NCAA Division I Diehard College Sports Fan" in 1996.
Pellerin died during the 1998 UCLA-USC rivalry
UCLA-USC rivalry
The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and the USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California ....
game (ironically that game concluded UCLA's 8-game winning streak). During the game, he felt ill and asked his next-younger brother, Oliver Pellerin, who was attending the game with him, to take him home. As he was being brought outside, he died of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
, which was coincidentally the same location where he attended his first USC game.
His younger brothers also had long streaks. Oliver viewed 637 consecutive games (1945–2001), passing away in 2002 at age 93; the youngest, Max Pellerin, at one point had a streak of 300+, passing away in 2001 at age 91.