Nestled in the loyal heart of Cincinnati’s football culture, there exists a community where loyalty is not measured by wins alone, but by the people who stand shoulder to shoulder long before kickoff. Bengals fans understand devotion in a way few others do. They gather in the lots of Longworth Hall and throughout the city with a spirit that continues throughout the entire year. It is a culture shaped by shared struggle, shared celebration, and an identity built on embracing one another as family. Within this world, tailgating is not a pregame activity. It is a defining part of the Cincinnati experience. Crews arrive before sunrise to guard their spots, raise their flags, and prepare to welcome anyone who wanders into the jungle.

Within the Bengal Bomb Squad West, a group whose camaraderie and generosity have become cornerstones of the Cincinnati tailgate scene, Mary Beth Wilfong found a home. What began as curiosity grew into belonging as she stepped into a community that gives freely, lifts others, and treats strangers like old friends. Week after week, she arrived with charity items in hand, joining Chris and others in their mission to support the Ace Raison Charities, a collection of charitable organizations that includes Camp Smile, Walk To End Alzheimer’s, Disabled American Vets, American Cancer Society and Foundation Fighting Blindness. Her voice carried through the lot as she sold raffle tickets, greeted visitors, and brought enthusiasm to every corner of Longworth Hall. Her presence became part of the rhythm of game day. The friendship, the laughter, and the purposeful generosity transformed her experience into something lasting. Through this community, she discovered the space where she could fully become the character fans know best. It is a persona born from creativity, shaped by rivalry, and fueled by the connection she found among her Bengal family.

What follows is the story of that transformation as told by Mary Beth herself. It is her fairy tale origin story for Hail Mary, written entirely in her own words and shared here exactly as she created it.

The Tale of Hail Mary: Queen of the Orange Wig
Written by Mary Beth Wilfong
Once upon a time in the land of Canton, Ohio, a land of Cleveland Browns heartbreak and Pittsburgh Steelers arguments at every family gathering, there lived a young girl named Mary Beth Wilfong, also known to the world (or at least throughout Longworth Hall) as Hail Mary. Every weekend of her childhood, Mary Beth was surrounded by football… so much football. Saturdays were for watching her cousin play at the University of Michigan, Sundays were for the Cleveland Browns, and somewhere around the 100th hour of family time, Mary Beth quietly staged her escape. She tiptoed to the basement TV, clicked through channels, and stopped on a team wearing stripes - The Bengals.

They were… well… tragically awful. So awful that her heart cracked in half like a stale stadium pretzel.
“I choose YOU,” she whispered to the struggling jungle cats on the screen. And just like that, a legend was born.
A year and a half later, her devotion was rewarded with something rare, magical, and almost mythical:
She watched her Bengals win. (Yes, it really happened. There were witnesses.)

The Move That Shocked HR Departments Everywhere
Years later, a grown-up Mary Beth was living in Chicago when she got big career news: a promotion! But she had to choose her new city: Topeka, Kansas … or Cincinnati, Ohio. Let’s be honest.  She basically yelled “WHO DEY!” and started packing.

The Halloween Wig That Started a Revolution
Her true transformation began on one fateful, last-minute Halloween night.  The costume store was picked clean—except for one lone item sitting on a hook, glowing like destiny itself: A long, wild, neon-orange wig. She grabbed it, paired it with a few random referee pieces, and became a biased referee—the most iconic costume north of the Ohio River.  She loved the wig.  The wig loved her. And soon, she wore it to Bengals games. And to bars. And basically, anywhere football existed.

The Pandemic, the Loneliness… and the New Beginning
Fast-forward to 2020. Mary Beth had lived in Cincinnati for nine years, working as an essential worker, wearing the orange wig proudly… but feeling lonely.  So she made a promise to herself: make friends or move. And the universe said, “friends, Mary Beth, make friends”

She went on a bar crawl planned by none other than Bengal Jim, where she met Lisa Raterman and Beth Buzek—members of the Tailgating Hall of Fame. Jim invited her to her first tailgate ever, which she took very literally: She showed up four hours early.  Because… she forgot to check when the game started.  Iconic.

Lisa later invited her to a Bomb Squad watch party at Roosters, where Mary Beth sat next to a guy named Chris (Ace Raison), who would change her life. He invited her to his tailgate, and Mary Beth—armed with courage and the orange wig—arrived declaring: “HEY, I’M HERE. PLEASE BE MY FRIEND.”  By the end of the season, she had more friends than she knew what to do with.  And a new family—not by blood, but by tailgate.  Her heart? Full.  Her blessing count? Infinite.

The Legend Lives On
Today, you can find Mary Beth—Hail Mary—roaming around tailgate lots at home and away:
A woman who found her people.
A city she chose (because of football and family).
And an orange wig that functions as more than just part of her game Dey costume, it is an extension of her personality.  and forever and always WHO DEY.

The woman behind the fairy tale continues to shape her community with the same heart found in her story. Mary Beth is more than the bright personality in the orange wig. She is a devoted member of Bengal Bomb Squad West who arrives with purpose every game day. She is a driving force within the Ace Raison Charity, helping others through the simple act of showing up and giving her time. She is a professional who channels her compassion into her work with the Alzheimer’s Association, carrying the same commitment to service that she brings to the tailgate lot. She is a friend to many, a supporter of all, and a reminder that the strongest traditions are built by people who are willing to embrace one another without hesitation.

In Cincinnati, where football passion binds generations and the jungle spirit never truly rests, Hail Mary has become a symbol of belonging. Her character may have started as a Halloween inspiration, but it grew into a role that reflects her genuine love for her team and her community. She found her family among the flags, tents, and tailgate rituals of Longworth Hall. She found her purpose in giving back to others. She found her voice in the orange wig that completes her transformation. And through it all, she reminds us that the joy of tailgating lies not only in the celebration of football, but in the people who turn every gathering into a story worth telling. Forever and always, she is part of the jungle. Forever and always, she is Hail Mary. WHO DEY.