#UConn fans start viral hot sauce drinking campaign for charity
“#UConn fans start viral hot sauce drinking campaign for charity”
UConn basketball boosters are burning up the ‘net while swigging some very hot sauce.
Fans began a viral hot-sauce drinking campaign after Huskies supporter Bryan Jackson joked on Twitter that he’d drink a spoonful of hot sauce if his team could rally to beat Marquette on Jan. 5.
Jackson knew that making good on his poblano promise was a long shot. UConn was trailing its conference rival by 18 points in the second half and its best player, James Bouknight, had suffered an injury.
“I saw that people were very down on Twitter and I just wanted to add some levity to the situation,” he said. “I thought people might get a chuckle out of it. And the other aspect of it, it was kind of an offering to the basketball gods,” the 2006 UConn graduate said.
The “gods” accepted. The Huskies got hot and came from behind to win the contest 65-54, and Jackson posted a tweet of himself drinking a large spoonful of hot sauce with ghost and scorpion peppers, and chasing it with a swing from the bottle while chanting, “U-C-O-N-N, UConn, UConn, UConn!”
The challenge gained momentum and caught the attention of the charitable Huskey Ticket Project as the team beat Butler on Saturday and edged DePaul two days later.
The group, which raises money to send underprivileged children to UConn sporting events, asked virtual participants for a donation of at least $5 to go along with their shots of hot sauce.
By Friday morning, more than $30,000 had been raised, the group tweeted.
“It sparked an idea in my head that we should make this like the ALS ice bucket challenge,” said Kevin Solomon, a co-founder of the Husky Ticket Project.
“It just caught on. I can’t tell you how surprised and grateful we are,” Solomon said. “UConn fans are the craziest, most passionate fans, and now we’ve found out they are also the most generous.”
“It’s already become a thing,” said Chris Licata, a 37-year-old graduate who committed to down a cocktail of several sauces before the start of UConn’s next game. “I never really expected to take a shot, but I told them if they reached $3,000 I’d do it. They blew right past that.”
Dan Toscano, the chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees, has donated seats to a random fan who participates in the challenge, and hopes to drink some sauce on the court with coach Dan Hurley after a win.
Toscano said the viral challenge signifies the revival of UConn basketball after a conference realignment that kept the school out of the Big East from 2013 until this season.
“People lost their mojo and I think this shows it is coming back,” Toscano said.
Meanwhile, the man who started the audaciously acidic challenge is now doubling down on his heartburn. Jackson has committed to drinking some of spiciest sauces on the market if UConn can prolong its streak, with names like Dave’s Ghost Pepper Garlic Insanity Sauce, the Torchbearer Garlic Reaper and The Last Dab.
If the Huskies rally for a national championship, he jokes he may need a fundraiser of his own to cover medical bills.
“I mean, I’d have to celebrate with some hot sauce,” Jackson said. “I just don’t know that I can go any hotter than what I’ve already committed to.”
UConn’s next game is Monday at home against St John’s.
With AP wires
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