TOLEDO – The Battle of I-75 brought out a record crowd as more than 6,000 fans packed Savage Arena to watch the women take on rival Bowling Green on Saturday.
One special season ticket holder, Linda Tillman, who is in her eighties (but wouldn’t divulge more than that), was in attendance to root for the Rockets and to celebrate her birthday with friends and family.
Tillman was also pronounced the Fan of the Game, and the love and energy inside Savage Arena before the tipoff was palpable as she was escorted onto the court and through a player tunnel by daughter-in-law, Joan Fankhauser, and granddaughter, Erin Fankhauser.
A season ticket holder for more than 10 years, Tillman briefly attended Bowling Green State University before earning her degree from Toledo.
“My loyalties are really all for Toledo; they did great today,” exclaimed Tillman, wearing Toledo’s blue and gold.
“She normally doesn’t miss a home game,” said Erin Fankhauser. “She loves going and watches them on ESPN + when they’re online, so I would say she is a pretty big Toledo women’s basketball fan.”
Tillman shares her love for the Rockets with her family, including Erin Fankhauser’s mother, Joan Fankhauser, who is also a season ticket holder.
“We’ve all gone to Rockets games since I was little. I used to go with my family back when they won the WNIT (Women’s National Invitation Tournament), so we’ve been going for quite a while,” Erin Fankhauser said.
Tillman and her family will sometimes travel to away games, too.
“We go to Cleveland when they play in the MAC tournament. We love going to the games, especially the women’s games,” Erin Fankhauser said. “We go to a lot of football games and the men’s basketball games, too. But I’d say the women’s are our personal favorite.”
The Rockets and Falcon will face off one more time this season when Toledo travels to the Stroh Center in Bowling Green on Feb. 22.
Toledo (13-5) defeated the Falcons (9-10) for the fifth consecutive time.
