Wolf Pack fan gets tattoo before big game

On a scale of 1-10, the pain level for a tattoo on the soft fleshy underside of Rick Abbie's upper arm was a 10, Abbie said Saturday - but it was worth it.

Abbie, 32, was in Distinct Ink for a $250 custom-designed Wolf Pack tattoo late Saturday in honor of the matchup between Nevada and Boston College today at the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

This morning at 8 a.m., he and his wife Deidra, 29, will board a charter bus with 55 friends and family members for the 6-hour trip to San Francisco. The group returns tonight after the game.

"I've been a big fan ever since we moved here in 1986, and I wanted to support the Pack, the community and Distinct Ink," Abbie said. "I knew it would hurt there (his underarm), but I wanted to get it out of the way so I'll never have to go there again."

Abbie's tattoo artist, who goes only by "Nerm," a nickname he has had since high school, said the design was his own.

"I played with the idea a little bit, then sat down and got it drawn up. He proofed it, and I took it from there," said Nerm, who has been with Distinct Ink for more than 15 years.

Abbie said he is an avid Wolf Pack fan and attends nearly all the Nevada home games.

He had originally thought he and his wife would both be getting ink Saturday, but Deidra thought otherwise. Although she has loved football since becoming Mrs. Abbie a year and a half ago, she doesn't like the idea of enduring pain.

"I think about getting a tattoo, but it's scary," she said.

Nerm said most of the sports tattoos he has done have been for professional teams like the Raiders, Giants and 49ers.

"I've done one or two of the Wolf Pack, but they were more in the past," he said.

The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl between Nevada and Boston College can be seen at 6 p.m. on ESPN.