Football is back! For some fans, that might mean hosting a fantasy draft or buying some new gear of your favorite team. For Miami Dolphins superfan Harvey Caldwell, it means getting the “Finbulance” ready for tailgating action in Florida! What is the “Finbulance” you ask? It’s an ambulance that Harv had customized in full Miami Dolphins regalia to create his ultimate game day tailgating experience.
How does one become such a fan of the Dolphins’ franchise? For Harvey it was natural. He recalled, “we lived in Ft. Myers at the time and that was just the team that was around here…and I liked the animal, so I favored them”. Harvey’s family later moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana where he graduated from North Montgomery High School and later, Ball State University in Muncie, but he always remained a diehard Dolphins fan.
Now, as the owner of D&D Trash Service in Crawfordsville, a family-owned business that’s been in the industry for over 30 years, Harvey has the wherewithal to purchase season tickets for his favorite team’s games in Miami. He said, “I started flying down to games there in 2010 but didn’t acquire the “Fanbulance” until 5 years ago”. He added, “I go to games all over the place, and saw an ambulance tailgating in Cincinnati and thought that would be a cool thing to do”.
It all came together when Harvey found an “ambulance for sale” in Indianapolis, and noticed something in the ad that told him that this particular rig might be just right for him. He said, “the owner of it wrote that there were two ghosts in it, one was really nice but he didn’t know about the other”. Harv added, “So I bought it, because I thought that was SO funny that he would put that in the ad”. The ambulance was then customized and he drove it down to Florida where it is stored.
Harvey says he’s been amazed at the reaction he gets from the “Finbulance”. He said, “there’s been people from all across the world that have come up to see it…and a lot of it has to do with Ace Ventura”. You see, on the side of the vehicle, there is reference to “Laces Out”, a theme from the film “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” about fictional Miami kicker “Ray Finkle” and the proper way a football should be held for kicking. Harv said, “there was a guy from Sweden that came by, and he didn’t speak English, but he was wearing a Finkle jersey and when he saw that…he started laughing so hard I thought he was gonna have a heart attack”. The Swede ended up taking some photos in front of the “Laces Out” graphics on the “Finbulance” while wearing the Finkle jersey and carrying the Swedish flag.
The “Finbulance” doesn’t just rely on a film reference to showcase Harvey’s Dolphins fandom though. He says, “I’ve got an autographed Ricky Williams jersey in there I’m awful proud of, also a jersey that’s autographed by Dan Marino and the “Marks brothers” (in reference to Dolphins’ wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper), and
I’ve got an old seat from the Orange Bowl in there”. (The Miami Orange Bowl was the stadium where the Dolphins played their home games for their first 21 seasons.)
Harvey estimates he’s seen “hundreds” of Dolphins’ games over the years, in lots of different stadiums, so he’s got tailgating experience unlike most. So what is the one thing that he thinks makes for a great tailgate party? Harvey says, “Friends! The more people around, the better it is. I’ve got a stereo in that thing that sounds like a concert hall, tv’s so we can watch other games before we go in, and of course the food”. Harv added, “you wouldn’t believe how different it is (compared to the midwest), sometimes there are people doing lobster cookouts and everything…it’s not just hamburgers and hot dogs…there’s fish and seafood too”.
When asked about something new that could be added to a tailgate party in 2021, Harv asked, “have you ever had a pudding shot”? He went on, “instead of using Jell-O (for a Jell-O shot) use pudding…my God those things are good. But you’ve got to be careful because they’re made with vodka”. He said, “you can use any kind of pudding you want, but people in Florida like coconut, and of course chocolate”.
As for Harvey’s pregame festivities this season, there is one matchup for which the “Finbulance” won’t have a part. That’s the game between the Dolphins and another team from Florida, the Jacksonville Jaguars. That game is being played in London, England. Of the pregame party there, Harv says, “that will probably be in a pub.” He reminisced, “I went the last time we played there and we knew a lot of players
were going to be hanging out. I talked to Mark Clayton, who is also from Indiana, and I met Dan Marino outside…Marino said,
‘we need to hurry, I’m ready to drink a pint’. I couldn’t believe I was hanging out with all these guys and they were normal. It was cool”.
Harv is excited to be at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami this season for better or worse. In the decade that he’s been a season ticket holder, the Dolphins haven’t won a Division title, have had only two winning seasons, and lost their only playoff game in a Wild Card matchup against the Steelers in Pittsburgh during the 2016 season. Harv surmised, “I ain’t gonna lie to you, I’ve never had to worry about the ‘for better” part until this season, the ‘for worse’ just happened naturally I guess.” No matter what happens on the field, Harvey and the “Finbulance” are winning every week in the parking lot.
Check out some of Harv’s photos from over the years.
Click on a photo to scroll through the gallery.
Written by Jeff Strange – Neuhoff Media Lafayette
You can listen to Strange weekdays on 93.5 WKHY from 2p – 7pm (eastern) and ROCK 96.7 weekdays 10am – 1pm (central).
