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Who is Joe Ruback? An interview with NY Giants super fan License Plate Guy.

By Danny Friedman

New York Giants fan Joe Ruback wears license plates around his neck in support of the Giants. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
New York Giants fan Joe Ruback wears license plates around his neck in support of the Giants. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 01: Joe “License Plate Guy” Ruback (L) and fans pose for photos with the wax figure of Eli Manning at Madame Tussauds on February 1, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)–––––
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 01: Joe “License Plate Guy” Ruback (L) and fans pose for photos with the wax figure of Eli Manning at Madame Tussauds on February 1, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)––––– /

GMEN HQ:  How did your Charity Softball game become the overwhelming success it is today? What plans do you have for this year’s event and visions for the future?

LPG: I knew I wanted to do something for charity.

I didn’t exactly know what it was. I have a pretty cool following. The License Plate Guy or the New York Football Giants, I should say, gave me that opportunity to have this platform of LPG.

Years back, I did this tailgate for the Pink Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness. I got a hundred people there. I raised like $3,500 or $4,000. I was like, “This is pretty cool.”

I became really close with Landon Collins and we were at the Pro Bowl and I was like, “We should do some charity events.” He said, “Okay. So what are we doing?” And I was like, “I’m a big softball guy. So, how about a softball game?” Then, he said he was down.

Shortly after, I called my friend, Brandon Jacobs. I said, “Listen, here’s what I just did. Do you think you and I could get the 2007 and 2011 teams? And he said back, “Yeah, let’s do it.” So I told him, “Okay, We’re going to play Brandon Jacobs and the Giants’ Super Bowl-winning teams versus Landon Collins and the current team.”

I had no idea what to expect, I couldn’t believe I got 3000 people to attend the game. When I tell you about the first year, I couldn’t believe we got 70 Giants. It brought a tear to my eye, I was blown away. We raised $30,000.

And then the next year, we got 80 Giants and another $40,000. The next year, there were over 100 Giants. We tipped the scales at over a $100,000 in three years for charity.

Being a super fan, that doesn’t mean as much to me as the platform that I’m giving. Everybody is a freaking super fan. You want to go to games, you want to put on a Giants t-shirt and a Giants hat, you’re a fan. You’re a super fan, you’re going to the games. But, raising over a hundred thousand dollars for charity, that’s pretty freaking cool.

The 2021 event is still a maybe. I have no idea what to expect with COVID-19. I really hope that we’re geared up to go. I have no idea. Who’s the face of it? We’re going to play it by ear. The turn of the year should tell us a lot. But regardless of the past X amount of years with the game, we’re going to have it again.

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