You Time!

Are you ready for some football? These colleagues are!

By Erin McQueary
District 10 public information officer

Nearly 18 million people tuned in to watch football during the 2023 regular season, according to ESPN.  They are all fans to some degree but the enthusiasm of some sets them apart from the rest.

Here are five of District 10's biggest football fans:

Pearl Losoya – AGPA in Project Management

Pearl grew up watching the 49ers on TV and attending games with her family when greats like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were playing.

But as a kid, she was more interested in tailgating than the game. It wasn’t until a date to a 49ers game at Candlestick Park with her now-husband in 2012 that Pearl truly became a superfan. The 49ers won that game (13-6) and Pearl’s heart.

Pearl and her husband have two daughters, ages 11 and 8, who are also fans.

The family attends at least four home games a season and Pearl and her husband try to go to an away game for their anniversary each December.

The couple have watched the 49ers play in Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Las Vegas.

“I really want to go to Dallas, just because I hate them and I want to beat them at their stadium,” Pearl said of the Cowboys, referencing their longstanding rivalry and “The Catch” in 1982 that sent the 49ers to their first Super Bowl.

Since becoming a superfan, Pearl said her relationship with her dad has grown. Win or lose, he’s the first person she talks to after a game.

“We have always been close but the fact that I am speaking his lingo, our relationship is more like friends than parent-daughter,” she said.

Carlos Padilla, maintenance supervisor for Stockton Landscape

Carlos is such a big 49ers fan that in 2017 he was inducted into the team’s Faithful Football Program, earning him the football used to make the 46th touchdown scored by the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, a biography on the team’s website, and annual ticket for him and his family to a preseason game.

His exuberance for the team is so captivating, that the cameras are drawn to him. He was pictured on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle when the 49ers beat the Packers in the NFC Championship game in January 2020.

With tens of thousands of fans at a game, the chances of being featured on television or a jumbotron are very slim, yet Carlos has been on the jumbotron twice and even made it on television when the cameras panned to his section at Lumen Field in Seattle, a lone 49er fan surrounded by Seahawks fans.

Carlos said he hasn’t missed a 49ers game since becoming a fan in elementary school and has attended 18 games.

“I enjoy my team’s history and am a fan of their physical play style,” Carlos said. “Making memories is the best part, whether it's with my sons or by myself.”

Carlos’ garage is full of memorabilia that he has been collecting since 2008: jerseys, shoes, banners, game-day giveaways, and of course, his most prized item, the 46th touchdown football.

Grace Magsayo – District 10 director

Growing up with five older brothers who rooted for the 49ers, Grace was familiar with the team’s history but wasn’t much of a fan herself.

It was when one of her daughters joined cheer in high school and her family began regularly attending football games that her 49er fandom took root.

“My husband has been a lifelong 49ers fan, and through him, I have grown to really love and support the team and immensely enjoy the games,” Grace said. “In our house, we plan around the games.  We don’t schedule commitments or social activities, so we are free to watch the game. 

“I think what makes us superfans is how we react to every play and game outcome. We also mourn each loss as much as we celebrate each win.”

Grace’s love of the team has also brought her closer to the Caltrans family.

During the last season, she connected with colleagues at Headquarters over the team and the group got together to attend a game this season.

“I would love to make this a tradition for future seasons,” Grace said. “It is great to have colleagues to enjoy time with, away from the daily grind.”

Skip Allum, public information officer

In a sea of red, Skip bleeds Honolulu blue.

A native of northern Michigan, Skip grew up watching the Detroit Lions with his grandfather.

“Especially on Thanksgiving Day,” Skip said. “They were the first and only team to play on Thanksgiving starting in 1934 – long before the Dallas Cowboys stole the idea in 1966!”

By the time he moved to California at 16, Skip said his loyalties were already established for each of Detroit’s major teams: the Lions, Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, and the University of Michigan Wolverines. 

His garage is floor-to-ceiling memorabilia from all the teams including a dozen NFL football and NBA basketball jerseys, NHL hockey sweaters, a 1990 Lions Starter jacket, infield dirt from old Tigers Stadium, and a recently acquired Barry Sanders autographed, full-size Detroit Lions helmet.

Skip played football in high school and college. He earned a partial scholarship to play football at California State Northridge, where the Matadors made the playoffs, and Skip “got some all-conference recognition.”

“Playing football taught me discipline, leadership, teamwork, self-confidence, and personal accountability,” Skip said. “All traits that have proven to be useful throughout life.”             

Eric Mather, deputy district director of administration

Football super fandom isn’t reserved for the NFL; Eric has the same passion for the college football team, the Oregon Ducks.

Eric, who grew up in Oregon, said the state only has one professional basketball team so there is a lot of pride in being an Oregon Ducks fan.

A 10-foot-tall inflatable of the team's mascot, a duck based on Disney’s Donald Duck, is on display in front of Eric’s house year-round. He also has multiple jerseys, sweatshirts and T-shirts, hats, work lanyards, and six pairs of Nikes designed specifically for the Ducks.

“Every year they drop a new shoe, which of course I buy,” Eric said. “Phil Knight, the president and CEO of Nike, is a University of Oregon alum.

Eric tries to make it to at least one game every year but, due to the cost and experience, prefers to watch it at home where he records and rewatches the game multiple times.

On game days, Eric’s entire family wears team gear. Eric puts his phone away to avoid distractions and seeing anything that will spoil it.

How big of a superfan is Eric?

“I would refer to my wife to answer this question,” Eric said. “But she’ll tell you, ‘A win or loss makes or breaks our family's weekend.’ ”