Exercise Man Loyal to Tiger Soccer for 16 Years

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Author: Josh Throckmorton

When attending Occidental home soccer games, it is virtually impossible not to notice their most loyal fan. Students and players refer to him as “Exercise Man,” and he has been attending Tiger soccer games for the last 16 years.   

At matches he can be found cheering on the far sideline, suggesting that the Tigers’ striker needs to take a better angle to a ball in the corner or that the referee should open his eyes. Whenever the ball is kicked out of bounds, he drops to the ground and begins performing as many push-ups as he can before play resumes. His workouts are why he is known as “Exercise Man.” He enjoys staying in shape and uses Occidental soccer games to do just that.  “I live on a hill nearby. So I run over here and work out and then run back up the hill at halftime,” he said.

“Exercise Man” can usually be found wearing gym shorts and an Occidental shirt, namely the grey “Tigers Soccer” t-shirt given to him last year by the women’s team or the orange “Oxy Event Staff” shirt he received from the Athletic Department this fall. He received both shirts so the college could recognize his immense dedication to Occidental soccer.

“Exercise Man,” now an Eagle Rock resident, originally moved to California from Connecticut to attend Stanford University. After graduation, he moved to the Los Angeles area to pursue a career in the arts. “I came down here to be the next great actor and screenwriter,” he said. “Unfortunately, some of my plays are collecting dust on the best shelves in Hollywood.”

“Exercise Man” did have one successful piece, however. He wrote a play for stage called the Liberty Bell Sweepstakes, for which he won multiple national contests. When he’s not attending Tiger soccer games or writing, “Exercise Man” is a father to two girls, age 14 and 17, who are pursuing careers in the performing arts.

In his first years in southern California, “Exercise Man” can recall being the lone fan at Occidental soccer games. While he is not an alumnus of Occidental and he does not have a son or daughter on any Tiger athletic team, he claims he comes back for every match because of his love of the game.

“I couldn’t make my team at Stanford because they were too good,” he said. “They had these guys from all over the world, literally, and they were just great, but I couldn’t make it. So, I like to come here because you can taste the sweat, you know what I mean?”

“Exercise Man” says he plans on continuing his tradition of attending all Occidental home soccer games and supporting the upcoming Tiger talent. As for his nickname, he enjoys the support from the Occidental community.  “I wish they’d call me Ronaldino or Pele or something more fitting to my ability, but no, it’s cool,” he said.

While neither men’s or women’s soccer will be competing in the playoffs this year, players and students can rest assured that “Exercise Man” will return to the Tigers’ sideline for his seventeenth season in 2012.

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