J.C appeared during the 2012 football season to help spark the Wolf Pack in its first season in the Mountain West. He is particularly known for his exploits down south in Las Vegas. Chris Boline/Nevada Sagebrush

There’s an old saying about a man with a certain panache: “Women want him, and men want to be him.” You might think I’m talking about James Bond, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair or that centaur guy from the Old Spice commercials. If you guessed any of the above, you’re close; however, there is only one man who truly fits this description. He is a resident of the University of Nevada; his name is JC; and he’s here to help the Silver and Blue.

This past Wednesday, I had the opportunity to meet Nevada’s biggest fan in person at the basketball game against New Mexico. For those of you who don’t know J.C, I’m sure you’ve seen him before. His flowing brown locks, cream-colored robe and navy blue sash are hard to miss at any sporting event. He walks with a certain gusto in his open-toed sandals, sure to make any lady blush.

You could say I was a little intimidated by his aura. (It wasn’t orange like Rick James’ but still just as awe-inspiring.)  As I made my way to the arena, I didn’t know what to expect. Would he be able to walk on water, make doves fly out from under the cheerleaders’ skirts or guide the Wolf Pack to a victory against New Mexico? All seemingly impossible tasks, but if anyone can do it, why not him?

I sat in the bleachers next to my buddy Chris O., whom I thought was the only person that had earned the title “the man, the myth, the legend,” but I was wrong. J.C entered the building, and it was pure pandemonium, the likes of which I had never imagined. He sauntered up to me and sat down to discuss some of his exploits.

Not much is known about J.C.’s past, except that he is from a far-away place and has a passion for video production.

This school year, JC has traveled near and far to uncover the various personalities within the state of Nevada. From Santa Crawl to New Year’s Eve, JC leaves no stone unturned when it comes to finding out what makes the state tick. However, his most famous adventure involved traveling down to UNLV to show the Rebels how the Pack does it. While the video doesn’t show much in the way of game action, JC does depict a certain lack of knowledge from the Rebels’ fans.

The main idea is that UNLV fans suck.

So I asked the man himself, why come back this year?

“A lot of people thought 2012 was the end, but I’m telling everyone it’s the beginning,” JC said.

As the game got underway, I discovered more and more of JC’s favorite and not so favorite things.

For starters, don’t call him Jesus. He is also a fan of the Nevada Sagebrush sex columnists, from old favorite Caitlin Thomas to our current expert, Anneliese Hucal.

He also doesn’t have a favorite player on any Nevada sports team because to him “that’s like asking your mom which child they love more.”

As Nevada’s lead slipped further and further out of grasp, I saw the passion that has made JC a staple of basketball and football games, not unlike University of Oregon’s stormtrooper or Utah State’s Wild Bill.

“A lot of people don’t know. They’ll say, ‘What game?’ So I’m here to spread the good word,” JC said. “I’d like to put Nevada on the map, but not me personally. I want people to recognize I’m part of a great tradition.”

The Wolf Pack ended up losing to New Mexico, and its season may be close to conclusion, but the fans will come back next season and so will JC.

“As basketball season wraps up and football is six months away, it gives us time to reflect on the year. We need to go up from here,” JC said.

Leaving Lawlor Events Center, the cold winter air swirling around us, I asked, “What is next for JC?”

“I plan to keep doing what I’m doing. I want this to be a positive experience for students and the community,” JC said.

After that, we parted ways, leaving me to ponder the possibility of an entire student section of historical figures. However, I knew this to be absurd because there is only one JC.

Chris Boline can be reached at choline@sagebrush.unr.edu.