Shepherd Traditions: Charlie Kave's Bike

If you have been to a Shepherd University football game at Ram Stadium in recent years you may have noticed a blue bicycle in the South end zone by the Boone Fieldhouse. The blue bike (it is more accurately a tricycle) adorned with a Shepherd College pennant belonged to Shepherd superfan Charlie Kave.

Charlie's association with Shepherd football dated back to 1946. No one celebrated a Shepherd victory more than Charlie, and no one suffered a loss as hard as he did. Kave was a frequent visitor to practices and he traveled to virtually all Shepherd games except when health issues sidelined him.

He was once smuggled by the players into the bus luggage compartment on a trip to Cleveland and was treated at a nearby hospital for asphyxiation. Kave returned from the hospital in time to watch the second half of the game.

He also suffered a broken leg when he was a little too close to the action at a Ram football practice.

Shepherd lost its "Number One Fan" when Charlie Kave passed away on October 5, 2002. Kave was honored by the Shepherd Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002 with a portrait that now hangs in the Butcher Center lobby. The Shepherd football team wore "CK" stickers on their helmets in 2002 to honor his memory. He will forever be a part of Shepherd football.