Creighton superfan carries Bluejay jacket tradition to NCAA Tournament

PITTSBURGH, PA (WOWT) - Plenty of passionate Creighton fans made the trip to Pittsburgh. None stand out quite like Andrew Merfeld.

He’s the one wearing a dingy aqua sports coat with an intricate Bluejay embroidered on the back.

It’s faded, it’s tattered—it needs a good wash.

“I don’t know if it’s ever been dry cleaned,” said Steve Merfeld, Creighton assistant coach and Andrew’s father. “I don’t know if you ever want to touch it. But supposedly, it’s an honor.”

Since 2006, that jacket has seen all the highs and lows of Bluejays basketball. Each year, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity designates a senior to wear the blazer, an ‘honor’ given to their most loyal Creighton fan.

“I’m here in Pittsburgh, so I’m pretty loyal I guess,” Andrew said. “I’ll be up at the concession stand and people will say ‘I like your jacket.’ You also get some weird looks because it’s kind of gross.”

Andrew’s Bluejay fandom began when Steve Merfeld joined Greg McDermott’s staff in 2010.

“He grew up with Creighton basketball,” Steve said. “He moved here in third grade. Basketball has been an important part of his life.”

Andrew is not just a fan—he is a former player. He appeared in five games as a walk-on for Creighton when they reached the Sweet 16 in 2021. After that season, he chose to step away from basketball.

“It’s a big-time commitment,” he said of the decision. “I credit all of those guys and obviously every other student athlete across the country, but I just wanted to be a student.”

“I think it was difficult for him to tell me he didn’t want to do it anymore,” Steve said. “But at the same time, I’m super proud of him that he did that. A lot of kids would probably try to live their life through their parents, and he didn’t. He made that decision on his own and moved on. It’s been a great decision for both of us.”

Andrew watches games from the student section now. He keeps the ticket from every Jays game he attends in the jacket’s inside pocket—even the plane ticket from the Bahamas Summer Tour. He is planning to add a ticket to Glendale, AZ to the pile before he passes the coat on.

“National champions,” he said of Creighton’s NCAA Tournament prospects. “I think we have the pieces. We’ve got it this year.”

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