Ramona’s Boltman Retires
The word fan is short for fanatic. That can have good and bad connotations. In the case of Boltman, the connotation is all good.
Ramona’s Dan Jauregui has been Boltman at San Diego Chargers football games since Jan. 15, 1995.
“When the Chargers won the AFC championship and earned their a trip to the Super Bowl, I thought that they needed a mascot,” said Jauregui. “My main goal was to help lead cheers and entertain the fans at home games.”
He did so for 14 years and at his own expense.
“At first I had to sell the idea to the Chargers and I had to submit drawings and models of proposed costumes. They liked the idea and I was under contract for two years,” he said.
Jauregui went to a company in Hollywood that made costumes for the movies, and they made the first Boltman costume at a cost of $11,000 the second version cost about $14,000.
After two years under contract Jauregui, the Chargers couldn’t come to a contract agreement so Dan just continued being a fantastic fanatic.
“The Chargers have been very supportive in many ways,” said Juaregui. “They have allowed me to roam freely in the Plaza Level and in the Concourse. They could have made me sit in my seat.”
Boltman made it to the Pro Bowl in 1998. “I was one of seven mascots that were selected to go to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. It was a blast. An entire week in Hawaii on the NFL.”
In 2000, Boltman was selected as a part of an exhibition in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Boltman has had some great thrills and memories. “Running out of the tunnel with Junior Seau, Stan Humphries, Tony Martin and all of the great Chargers back in the day was great. Boltman has been through the good (a 14-2 season), the bad (an 8-8 season) and the ugly (1-15). I have enjoyed meeting fans in the parking lot tailgating. I have had some great memories.”
Boltman has also experienced three of what he calls “tours of duty” in Oakland. “I went to Raider games in Oakland in 2004, 2005 and 2006, I was invited by a big Raider booster. That is probably how I made it out of there alive,” said Jauregui with a laugh.
“After three seasons, the Oakland police asked me not to come in costume any more. They had to escort me on to the field and to my RV. It became a problem with crowd control. The fans were throwing batteries and being jerks, so for my safety they called it quits.”
Being Boltman has cost Jauregui, who paid $1,500 a year to park his RV. Tickets cost $1,800 a season. Add to that gas, food, upkeep on the costume and giveaways, and the cost of being a fanatic is great.
“The Chargers have become so popular that it is very difficult to just walk around the stadium to lead cheers and get the crowd going.”
Jauregui has always been a Chargers fan. He graduated from Ramona High School, where he wrestled for three years, in 1983. A Realtor, he has stayed in Ramona and has two grown children: Daniel (DJ) is serving in the U.S. Navy and Renee is a college student. He is also an admissions officer for a San Diego college.
Being Boltman is not an easy endeavor. The costume can get hot in the intense heat of the summer and cold in the rain in the winter. Boltman has never turned down a photo op or an autograph. He has been loyal to his team and has represented the Chargers with class and dignity. Not all mascots have done that.
After 14 years of great memories, Boltman is retiring. “I have made the decision to retire the Boltman character. It is time for a change for me personally and for the Boltman character. It has been a lifetime full of memories crammed into 14 years. I enjoyed every minute of it.”