After much anxiety and anticipation leading up to Saturday’s episode of College GameDay, Ol’ Crimson’s record stands at a streak of over 200 appearances.
The streak was put in jeopardy due to Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park’s rule that flags not be flown in the Orlando park. The policy, it seemed, would prevent Ol’ Crimson from appearing on College GameDay for a 225th consecutive time.
"We want to be respectful of Disney’s rules and make sure that we’re compliant with them, but we’re also pretty creative. Working on a few things, just keep your eyes open." Ol' Crimson week-to-week manager CJ McCoy told KREM 2.
Ol’ Crimson first appeared on College GameDay in 2003. The Ol’ Crimson Twitter account tweeted a hint Thursday that indicated the flag may make an appearance Saturday.
The tweet quoted McCoy, saying, “We have a group of Cougs prepared to attend and are coordinating logistics related to getting the flag into ‘@WaltDisneyWorld.’”
Relief washed over many Cougar fans once Ol’ Crimson appeared on screen.
Not only were flags prohibited, but Disney also had a policy against bringing signs into the park, which in case you weren’t aware, are an essential component of College GameDay. After much outrage from fans over ESPN’s decision to adhere to Disney’s rules, ESPN updated the rules specifically for GameDay.
In a statement describing it as a “time-honored tradition of handheld signs” at the show, Magic Kingdom made an exception to allow fans to bring hand-held signs into the park.