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Parade ahead of ReliaQuest Bowl
FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports.
YBOR CITY, Fla. - Football fans flooded Ybor City on Tuesday night during the ReliaQuest Bowl parade, ahead of Wednesday's matchup between Iowa and No. 14 Vanderbilt.
What they're saying:
Plenty of people lined up along Seventh Avenue, as the parade rolled through five blocks filled with fans cheering on their team.
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Among the crowd was Joscelyn LeMaley, an Iowa fan who traveled to Tampa with her family. This year, she brought her 11-month-old son, Kallahan.
"We’ve been coming to Iowa bowl games ever since I was born and all my family went to Iowa," she said. "We wanted to bring him down to Florida and support the Hawkeyes."
Despite a chilly night in Ybor, LeMaley said the weather was much warmer than the cold conditions at her home in Des Moines, Iowa.
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"Sixty degrees and fifty degrees, this is great," she said. "Right now, at home we’re experiencing negative temps, snowing and freezing rain."
As fans filled the sidewalks, Anthony and Ellen Arena stood out from the crowd with cardboard cutouts of both teams’ quarterbacks. The couple said the parade atmosphere added to the excitement surrounding Wednesday's bowl game.
"The lit-up costumes were amazing, the bands were amazing, and the floats were fabulous," Ellen said.
"It was beautiful when we saw the bands for each of the schools and the enthusiasm they had," Anthony added. "It’s a wonderful thing that we bring all of our people from these schools to Tampa."
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Dig deeper:
The Tampa Police Department maintained a strong presence throughout the event. Officers worked to manage the crowd and keep the celebration safe.
Vanderbilt fan Andy Hooper made the long drive from Tennessee with his family.
"We’ve been to several bowl games, so this was my Christmas present," he said. "To go to the bowl game, no matter where it was. My wife took care of that, got me down here."
While enjoying the parade’s sights and sounds, Hooper is hoping his Commodores finish the season strong.
"Diego Pavia’s last game, hoping for a win and excitement," he concluded. "Hoping to see what we got. I expect it to be a good game."
What's next:
Iowa and Vanderbilt will face off in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Wednesday. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Raymond James Stadium.
The Source: Information for this story came from interviews with college football fans, statements from the ReliaQuest Bowl and reporting from previous coverage on FOX 13 News.