In 2009, Northwestern men’s basketball in-game host Darrel Dupit didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. A part-time retail employee and a high school gymnastics and cheerleading coach, Dupit was juggling gigs. Then he tried out for the Chicago White Sox’s pride crew.
“Being in front of people — performing — that was something already in my nature,” Dupit said.
Dupit ultimately landed the gig, launching an entertainment career that combined his dual passions in sports and performance.
As he ran onto Rate Field for the first time on game day, Dupit was starstruck. The thousands of screaming fans gave the lifelong Sox fan goosebumps.
“Running out of the centerfield doors onto the field is a feeling that is almost unmatched,” Dupit said.
Now, Dupit, age 47, works in fan experience as an in-game host, stage manager and pride crew member for seven Chicago-area teams.
In 2023, Dupit joined NU’s men’s basketball team as an in-game host.
A production stage manager for the Bulls and a pride crew member for the White Sox, Dupit said he has finally found his niche and passion in entertaining sports fans citywide.
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Growing up in West Chicago and Willowbrook, Dupit dreamed of playing professional football. He attended a Christian school without any varsity sports, where he played flag football, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey and soccer. In high school, Dupit vaulted toward gymnastics and cheerleading.
“I was fortunate I was coordinated because I was able to play a lot of sports,” Dupit said. “I was not the best one, but I could hang with people, and we’d play after school in the neighborhood.”
Dupit attended college on and off from 1995 to 2006, where he studied physical therapy before switching to education. He dropped out of North Central College in 2006 to care for his sick aunt.
Deanry Dupit, four years Darrel’s junior, said his older brother’s athletic prowess provided him a constant source of motivation. Darrel was always picked first for every team, he added.
“He always had a connection with sports — not even just as your common spectator going to games and everything — he wanted to be involved all the time,” Deanry Dupit said.
During his formative years, Darrel Dupit also developed a love for performing.
He took center stage as a traveling musician in a high school play, took up the saxophone in the fifth grade band and participated in a youth church choir.
As he developed his parallel proclivities for performing and playing sports, Dupit was inspired by a friend serving as a physical therapist for the Indiana Pacers. That, Dupit thought, would be his ticket into the world of professional sports.
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In his youth, Dupit had to get creative to support his favorite baseball team. Dupit’s father worked the afternoon shift at Brach’s Candy Company in West Garfield Park. Meanwhile, his mother worked the overnight shift at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. That left a narrow window of time late at night for Dupit to attend games.
Occasionally, he and his mother would drive to his father’s office and take the “L” to Comiskey Park — now Rate Field — to watch the Sox. Unlike the Cubs, the Sox had lights on the field and often played late at night.
“I never really had hate toward the Cubs,” Dupit said. “I had a lot of friends who were Cubs fans, some who were Sox fans. Definitely, I was in the minority in my area.”
Dawn Veal, Darrel Dupit’s older sister by four years, said sports were always her brother’s passion.
Veal, who has watched her brother entertain the crowd at Sox and Bulls games, said Dupit’s diehard Chicago sports fandom shines through in every facet of his life.
“He is a true Chicago sports fan,” Veal said. “He is loyal to everyone except the Cubs. He’s a fair weather fan for the Cubs, but definitely (supports the) Bulls, White Sox, Bears.”
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He continued working part-time jobs — including positions as a stocker and customer service representative at The Container Store — to support himself while throwing shirts for the Sox. Dupit said the fans kept him motivated.
“I will run through a brick wall for each and every one of them,” Dupit said. “I mean, I really do it for the fans. It sounds so cliche. But I really do enjoy getting hyped and getting turned up and feeding off the energy of the fans.”
In the simple task of throwing T-shirts, Dupit said he found something more purposeful. The most meaningful part of his job, he said, is giving children “special moments” by making them feel like they’re a part of the team.
After two years with the Sox, Dupit joined the “Incredibulls” — throwing T-shirts for the Chicago Bulls. He later became a production stage manager, coordinating logistics for in-game production.
Dupit also became an in-game host for the G League’s Windy City Bulls shortly after the organization was founded in 2016.
Bulls senior producer Todd Abbott said Dupit brings energy and enthusiasm to his role.
“He’s got great positivity and great energy,” Abbott said. “I’ve hung out with him socially, too. I’ve never really noticed him to ever be down. He always is very up, and he’s very much a positive force in the world of Chicago sports and the world in general.”
Abbott said Dupit’s aptitude for fun does not diminish his serious contribution to the team. Abbott described Dupit as “thorough,” asking thoughtful questions and presenting innovative ideas in team production meetings.
Dupit also serves as a mentor for new production team members. He often arrives early to games to help new hires set up the concourse, banners and DJ equipment.
“He’s a jack of all trades. He’s got so many different skills, not just being a personality,” Abbott said. “He’s just a really good coworker, a really good person that I trust.”
After Dupit joined the Chicago Bulls in 2011, he pursued similar opportunities with other teams. He joined the Bears in 2015 as a member of the Monster Squad, the team’s ambassadors in games and at fan events.
“The guy loves life and has a true passion for all Chicago sports,” Bears’ Manager of Talent and Game Presentation Robert Hack said. “I think he realizes the bigger picture of the fan experience.”
In 2018, the Chicago Sky added Dupit to its pride crew. He soon created and captained its T-shirt team.
“What you see on the court is Darrel off the court,” Sky Director of Operations Samantha Salzeider said. “He brings great energy to the fans, but he also is a hype man for his colleagues — always cheering them on and pushing them to always be better.”
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On March 11, 2020, Dupit received a call from his boss at the Windy City Bulls: There would be no game the next day.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dupit needed to pivot out of empty arenas.
“That was my identity,” he said. “I worked at that point for five teams. … Now there were no fans. So that means no sports. I had nothing to do, no real backup.”
Over the next year, still impacted by COVID-19 safety measures, Dupit found a backup on YouTube.
Dupit began reviewing local restaurants, food and other products on his YouTube channel. He continued to review food consistently until 2022, accruing roughly 1,500 subscribers.
“YouTube was my outlet to get through the pandemic,” Dupit said.
Meanwhile, Dupit pursued another goal during the pandemic — growing facial hair.
Dupit said he hoped to grow a full beard, but his “cheeks didn’t get the memo.” An unexpected player emerged: a monster mustache. He decided on a whim to add a curl on each side of his mustache, and his most distinctive feature was born.
Dupit continues to sport his thick black mustache, complete with thin upward curls on each end.
“That’s my signature, and I’m not ashamed of it at all,” Dupit said. “And I’m happy for it, because, I’m not gonna lie, it’s helped me become recognizable and memorable when it comes down to it. In this game, that’s one of the things you need.”
Thanks to his growing roster of professional teams and his new mustache, Dupit is often recognized in public by sports fans. In Evanston, he said NU students sometimes make a claw and shout “Go ’Cats” when he passes by on the street.
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With 16 years under his belt, Dupit said he hopes to one day be the oldest person throwing T-shirts.
Seeing the impact he makes on fans, especially kids, keeps Dupit motivated. Although he said it can be difficult to please every fan, he tries to make every fan feel special.
“It’s about uplifting (fans),” Dupit said. “You want to make that moment special because you never know what they’ve been going through. Not to diminish it, but it is cliche. In that moment, you want to make that moment special.”
Sometimes, Dupit said, he has a bad day and knows he will have to work a game that night. When that happens, he said he tries to keep his energy high because he doesn’t want fans to feed off his negative energy.
When Dupit is running on empty and has to perform, the fans’ encouragement helps him find his rhythm.
“I do love what I’m doing — interacting with the fans — and sometimes all I need is that one fan to give me that high five,” Dupit said. “It’s like, ‘All right, let’s go get ‘em.’ It’ll turn me around, at least for that moment.”
Whether attending a White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Windy City Bulls, Bears, Sky, Blackhawks or Northwestern game — Dupit aims to give fans an unforgettable arena visit.
Dupit described his impact on others as a ripple effect. If he can give a young fan an unforgettable moment, he said that child might pass their positivity forward to someone else.
“I don’t ever want to stop,” Dupit said. “I want it to last as long as I physically can.”
Email: isaiahsteinberg2027@u.northwestern.edu
X: @IsaiahStei27
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