A tailgating to remember

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A tailgating tradition that spans three generations had a bittersweet gathering at Saturday nights game.
"Basically we're here celebrating my dads passing and he passed last Friday and we got to keep the tradition going on," said Michael Lamb.

A tradition Micheal Lamb said you won't see anywhere else on campus. Lambs father, James Lamb, died September 19th, 2009. James was a Purdue quarterback in the 1960s. But it wasn't until the 1970s when the "bus" tradition began.

"I've been coming here since 1972 which is when the bus was born," said Lamb. "He painted it black and gold, put Purdue Pete on it and made it a Purdue bus and we tailgated in it ever since."

The former Greyhound bus has traveled all over the country, following the Purdue football team, and always filled with fans.

Lambs' grandfather first purchased the bus, then passed it down to his son James. Michael and his father rarely missed a game in the bus. But when James passed away, the bus tradition almost went with him.

"At first we were talking about selling it, i started driving in it the other day we took it actually up to his funeral and we parked it out front and I started driving it and I said 'I can't get rid of it'," said Lamb.

"He had such a big following of people, a very diverse crowd, we decided to keep it going after he passed last week," said Doug Cooper.

Family friend Doug Cooper has been along for the ride since the 1980s. He said Michael made the right decision to keep the bus.

"As long as we can keep parts in it, keep the rust out, keep the tires up, we're there," said Cooper.

While the day is bittersweet, Lamb said he wouldn't have done anything differently.

"We're very fortunate to have the people around, we're just kind of making this as a memorial for dad and send him off in a good way. The way he would want," said Lamb.

Michael has a son Thomas who he plans on giving the bus t to carry on the tradition. But Thomas will have to wait a while before he can get behind that big wheel. He's only 5 years old.