NEW YORK — Despite hailing from Syracuse, Michael Childs was sporting another color at Yankee Stadium on Thursday: Purple.

Childs, a Syracuse resident, had no shame in turning his back on the Orange. He was there to support his nephew Jarell Childs, a sophomore middle linebacker for Kansas State University.

Michael was only one of the 38,274 fans that watched Syracuse and Kansas State play in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

‘People were telling me, I win either way,’ said Michael. ‘But I want Kansas State to win.’

Michael said even though he is a die-hard Syracuse basketball fan, he has been cheering for the Wildcats ever since his nephew joined the team.

Heckled by friends back home who support the Orange, Michael drove from Syracuse to the Bronx with another family member, Louis Courcy, in hopes of seeing Jarell and KSU take down their home team.

When Jarell’s father in Kansas City told Courcy that Syracuse and KSU were competing in the Pinstripe Bowl, Courcy said he could not believe it.

‘I thought they were lying,’ said Courcy. ‘That was my first reaction.’

Unfortunately for the Childs’ family, the Orange came away with the 36-34 win over the Wildcats. The Orange won its first bowl game since 2001 to end the season 8-5.

After coaching Syracuse offensive guard Zack Chibane throughout his high school career, Paramus (N.J.) High School Head Coach Dan Sabella was thrilled to see his former athlete win on a national stage.

‘He’s had a great season, it’s a great experience watching him play,’ Sabella said.

Sabella said he keeps in touch with Chibane. As soon as Chibane discovered he was playing in New York, he called Sabella immediately to break the news. As he stood surrounded by fellow Orange fans, it didn’t matter what color he wore. He, like Michael and Courcy, was there for a universal reason.

‘I’m very proud,’ Sabella said.

However, it wasn’t only fans making the four-plus hour drive from Syracuse to New York City to see the game.

Alex Hackathorn was dressed for the elements outside of Yankee Stadium — clad head-to-toe in purple-and-white pinstripe overalls, fitting for the occasion.

Hackathorn, a former KSU student from Perry, Kansas, made the 17-hour trip with friends from the middle of the country to the Big Apple solely for the game. They stopped only for gas during the drive, and planned to head out right after the game, to make it back home for New Year’s.

A self-proclaimed, lifelong KSU fan, Hackathorn is a season ticket holder. He lives outside of Lawrence, Kansas — home of not KSU but their chief rivals, University of Kansas — and makes the hour and 15-minute drive to Manhattan, Kansas each Saturday to watch the Wildcats in action.

Hackathorn’s tickets were in Section 201, but Hackathorn said he had no idea what they would be like. He had never been to Yankee Stadium before. In fact, it was his first time in New York City. He found the city much different from what he expected.

‘In movies and on television, they make New York seem like a bunch of mean people. But people have been pretty cool,’ he said. ‘I mean, you can’t explain how big it is to people.’

Hackathorn’s motivation for driving more than 1,200 miles for three hours of football was simple:

‘I love Kansas State.’

knmciner@syr.edu, ansteinb@syr.edu

Published on January 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm