A figure almost as recognizable in UB athletics as Victor E. Bull may be a thing of the past after the football team's win this weekend.
Known by Bulls fans for his extremely vocal cheering, regular attendance and signature blue body paint, Jon Amitrano was ticketed for disorderly conduct after rushing the field following the team's first win in 18 consecutive games.
Amitrano, a sophomore biology major, was the only student ticketed and faces possible suspension from all UB athletics events.
According to John Woods, assistant director of Public Safety, after UB's 26-17 win against Ohio about 15 students rushed to the field, cheered with the team and ran off. Amitrano was ticketed due to the fact that he is a repeat offender, Woods said.
"This person has, from what I understand, been involved with the same type of disruptive behavior at football games before," said Woods.
Earlier this season, Amitrano was arrested at a football game and charged with disorderly conduct; he was also ejected from two basketball games last season. Currently, he is working off 110 community service hours for the arrest.
Amitrano said he was simply cheering for his team and was unfairly targeted due to his past. He made sure he was not the first fan on the field as he sprinted for the goal posts, he said, and he pulled a U-turn when he saw a University Police officer waiting near the end zone with a can of mace.
"It wasn't like I was the only one on the field," Amitrano said. "I wasn't the first one on the field. They were gunning for me. I knew this was coming."
Paul Vecchio, assistant athletic director for communications, said the situation puts both the Athletics Department and University Police in a tough situation, but Amitrano had previously been warned to tone down his behavior. And while he may have been recognizable by his body paint, his previous actions caused the ticket.
"If you get pulled over six times for traffic violations in the same town, they'll start to recognize your car," Vecchio said.
Known for his extremely animated cheering, which often includes vulgarity and insensitive comments about players and their family members, Amitrano's behavior is at times inappropriate, Vecchio said.
"There's a fine line between being a true fan and being supportive of your university and your athletic teams, and being a spectacle," Vecchio said.
For Amitrano, cheering is serious business. He and his friends research the player's backgrounds, including the names of family members before each game, but it's all to help support the Bulls.
"You can throw somebody off their game if you're chanting about their mother," Amitrano said.
Nearly always located behind the opposing bench at both men's and women's basketball games, Amitrano most likely attends just to cause a ruckus, Vecchio said.
"I think he kind of is there to be seen," Vecchio said. "I think anybody who gets to that extreme wants to be seen."
And Amitrano readily agrees. He and his friends - including one who spends an hour painting him blue before each event - like the attention.
"I enjoy it because you get a lot of response from people, especially when it's cold out," said Amitrano.
Moreover, he thinks his presence has an effect on the performance of the Bulls and their opponent, which, he said, the players commented on when he rushed the field Saturday.
"A couple of the Bulls players said, 'You should be here. You deserve to be here,'" said Amitrano.
But for Vecchio, the issue is troubling on a larger scale - safety.
"It's great, we want you to celebrate, but there's been too many bad situations in the last few years," he said.
On Oct. 11, a University of Nebraska football player allegedly punched a Missouri fan in the face following a game. In November 2002, the defensive coordinator at Miami of Ohio allegedly knocked down a Marshall fan following a Marshall win. In October 2001, a Ball State student was paralyzed when 400-pound goal posts collapsed on him and broke his back following a win over Toledo.
"We're not trying to be hard guys here," he added. "We're just trying to make sure people are safe ... You can't control what someone is going to do in the heat of the moment."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
