CHARGERS FAN EARNS ULTIMATE TITLE.Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - Joseph Parker
He managed to pick up a fair education, which in after-life he constantly supplemented. cheered his first San Diego Chargers
• • [ . His love for the team sustained him in 1969, while he was an airman stationed in Vietnam. ``My dad taped the radio broadcasts of the Chargers and mailed them to me. I would sit over there - halfway around the world - listening to the game on the radio.'' And since 1990, Parker has attended every single home game of the Chargers, traveling the 320 miles round-trip to San Diego from his home in Simi Valley. Parker's loyalty and devotion have earned him the title of the Chargers' ultimate fan, an honor he shares with 30 other die-hard followers of each NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga team. The winners of the Visa nationwide search will be feted Jan. 18 in football's greatest shrine, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. ``It's quite an honor, believe me,'' said Parker, 49, a materials coordinator for Exxon. ``I live and die with each of those games every day the Chargers play.'' Based on a one-page essay on being the ``ultimate fan,'' the winners were selected by a panel of National Football League, Hall of Fame and Visa representatives for the Visa Hall of Fans, an 2-year-old exhibit featuring fans' names, photographs and short testimonials. ``What we were looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. ... were fans that represent what fans should be - dedicated to the team whether they win, lose or draw Win, Lose or Draw was an American television game show that aired from September 1, 1987 to September 7, 1989 on NBC and in syndication from 1987 to 1990. It was taped at CBS Television City, often in Studio 33, and occasionally in Studio 31. (and) demonstrate their loyalty,'' said Joe Horrigan, vice president of communications at the Hall of Fame. ``Another criterion is appreciation for the history and tradition of that team - all the positive things that fans can be. ``Our feeling is, fans play such an important role in a team's success,'' he said. ``The fans know how to cheer and when to cheer and can disrupt the opponents. They have become an intricate, strategic part of the game.'' During their two-day trip to Canton, the winners will attend a special ceremony with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, a Hall of Fame inductee and Visa Hall of Fans spokesman. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Joseph Parker takes his son, John, to every Chargers home game. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News |
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