CHESAPEAKE, VA (WTKR)- If you walked into Dick's House of Sport in Chesapeake on Saturday, you may have noticed a little more silver and blue flavor than usual in the venue.
ODU Fan Fest hit the store from 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM, giving the Monarch faithful the chance to get their hands on some new Monarch apparel, chat with other fans, enjoy some games and take in head football coach Ricky Rahne's first radio show of the season. It was a great chance for those who will fill the seats in the fall to meet and celebrate and a nice opportunity for Rahne to venture away from the football complex during a busy time.
"During camp, you kind of get into your own silo and that sort of thing, so it's kind of great to be out and doing some things," the head coach noted. "I think this is the only time since camp started that I wasn't either at my home or at the office so it's kind of a different experience for me."
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Rahne and the Monarchs are coming off a 6-7 season, one that saw them reach their second bowl game in three years. A big part of the success going forward will be the fans. The head coach believes that the fanbase is always a large factor when it comes to the program's success, but with the addition of NIL to the equation, the team's supporters may be more important now than ever before, at least in the eyes of the head coach.
"Fan support is maybe the most important factor now," Rahne pointed out. "It's a huge thing. Obviously we want to get out in the community as much as we can and that's our responsibility, too. It's our responsibility to be good people in the community. I tell our guys all the time, 'you want to give yourselves more NIL opportunities, be good people, be good students, be good humans and all those sort of things.'"
Rahne was one of a handful of coaches to make an appearance during the five hour fan fest window. ODU head women's basketball coach Delisha Milton-Jones was among the others who stopped by to enjoy the event.
As for football, the Monarchs kick off their season four weeks from Saturday when they hit the road to face South Carolina.
