A crowd of 50 or so fans dressed in red and blue waited outside the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center Thursday afternoon with hopes of catching their favorite players and snagging a few autographs.
Only it wasn’t the Arizona Wildcats that fans were there to see.
The NFL’s New York Giants are using the UA football team’s facilities as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Chargers in Los Angeles. On Thursday, they held their second of three scheduled practices on campus.
The Giants have taken note of their dedicated followers in the Old Pueblo.
“There’s Giants fans all over the place,” cornerback Logan Ryan said. “We’ve got a great fanbase.”
Fans ranging from children to UA students and adults stood outside the gates during a Thursday practice that was closed to the public. They began gathering as early as 11:30 a.m., and stayed until players left the facility around 2:30 p.m.
“My work let me out early to come here, they know how crazy I am,” said Phil Velez, a frontline healthcare worker at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Velez, 41, has been a Giants fans since he was 10 years old. His family moved to Tucson from the Brooklyn area before he was born.
“We spend so much time seeing (the players) on TV, to see them physically there in front of you it’s hard not to get starstruck,” he said.
Tucsonan Ray Hensley brought his 11-year-old son Brayden to campus with hopes of getting an autograph from star running back Saquon Barkley. Brayden wore Barkley’s No. 26 jersey.
The Giants will hold their final practice in Tucson on Friday. Ryan said the trip West has helped the Giants hit the reset button after losing two of their last three games. The club is 4-8 heading into Sunday’s showdown at SoFi Stadium.
“It’s been going well,” the cornerback said. “Get away, reset our minds a little bit. I think we had a really spirited practice today.”
Arizona Wildcats quarterback Jordan McCloud, right, watches the Giants practice Thursday at the Dick Tomey Football Practice Fields on campus at the UA.
It’s been an eventful week for Ryan. Following Sunday’s loss to Miami, Ryan made news after making a crack about Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
“I’m a lot like Tua. I can throw 2-yard passes to the left,” he said, per NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt.
On Tuesday, Ryan was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of The Year Award.
On Thursday, Ryan apologized for his remarks.
“I didn’t mean any disrespect,” he said. “I made a lighthearted comment about me playing quarterback. I think he’s a good player … It was a comment that just went the wrong way. I was trying to be funny and it wasn’t funny.”
Asked about Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, the former Oregon star, Ryan was sure not to repeat his mistake.
“Herbert has one of the strongest arms I’ve seen on tape. I mean his arm talent is ridiculous,” Ryan said. “So we definitely need to get to work.”
Extra points
Several Arizona Wildcats players and coaches, including quarterback Jordan McCloud, kicker Tyler Loop and UA football alumni coordinator Brandon Sanders, watched part of Thursday’s practice from the sidelines. Sanders played three seasons (1997-99) with the Giants. McCloud is no stranger to NFL practices; his older brother, Ray-Ray, is a wide receiver and return specialist for the Steelers.
“Having some of their team out here watching us play at the highest level and having some kids warm up with us was really cool,” Ryan said.
Ryan and some of his Giants teammates attended Wednesday night’s Arizona-Wyoming men’s basketball game in McKale Center. The Giants were introduced at halftime, drawing a mixture of cheers and boos from the UA crowd.
