Neither Greg Suckow nor Damon Crumley will be at Legacy Arena in Birmingham Thursday for the Auburn-Iowa first-round NCAA men’s basketball game.

But these dueling Elvis Presley impersonators are not all shook up over not having tickets. They have instead taken to Twitter and hope their king-sized social media square-off will inspire others to jump on board and participate in a friendly wager.

Related:

The winner could be the children’s hospitals in Birmingham and Iowa City, Iowa.

Suckow, 53, goes by “Hawkeye Elvis.” Crumley, 52, is “Auburn Elvis.” On Monday, Crumley tweeted an image of the two squaring off and decked out in their full Elvis regalia with the headline, “Viva March Madness!”

“We’re both fun to be around people so there are enough Twitter followers and people online who could potentially get on board for this,” said Crumley, who has dressed up in an orange and white Elvis jumpsuit and wearing the Elvis sunglasses to football games at Jordan-Hare Stadium for 20 years.

“It’s a little silly but, at the same time, it has the opportunity turn silliness into something good that can benefit needy children,” he added.

The wager

The wager is simple: If Iowa wins, Crumley as Auburn Elvis will donate to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital that matches the Hawkeyes point total from the game. If Auburn prevails, Hawkeye Elvis will do the same for Children’s Hospital of Alabama based in Birmingham.

Suckow, whose Hawkeye Elvis has much larger Twitter following than Crumley’s Auburn Elvis, said the dueling impersonators plan to push out information in the coming days for followers so they can donate to the hospitals.

“It’s technically determined by who wins, and we’ll make a big deal out of it once it’s over,” said Crumley. “But people can get on board beforehand. There will be a lot of fans on the winning side who will (hopefully) make a donation.”

The children’s hospital in Iowa City might also helped generate some attention toward the wager. The hospital, which overlooks Kinnick Stadium, is known for one of the most heralded recent traditions in college sports. At the end of the first quarter during University of Iowa home football games, fans inside the stadium turn toward the hospital and – along with the home and visiting teams – wave in unison at those watching the game inside the hospital.

“The University of Iowa is famous for their children’s hospital with it being so near to the (football) stadium,” Crumley said.

Private donations aside, the bet could be costly for Suckow or Crumley. Iowa has one of the top offenses in the nation, averaging more than 80 points per game. They also have one of the worst defenses in the country, something which the Bruce Pearl-led Tigers hope to exploit.

“If Auburn beats us 100-99, and we’re both capable of scoring that much, I’m sending 100 to the Children’s Hospital (in Birmingham),” Suckow said.

Said Crumley, “I could be on the hook for over 100 if they get hot. Their defense is not that good, so (Suckow) may be on the hook for that much, too.”

Elvis personalities

Suckow and Crumley belong to a small but passionate group of college sports fans who have claimed a Twitter handle as an unofficial Elvis impersonator representing their respective university’s fan bases. Suckow has been dressing up in black and gold Elvis jumpsuits since 2010. Crumley’s orange and white Elvis-themed attire goes back 20 years.

And the two have been familiar with each other for years. Aside from LSU and Notre Dame, Iowa and Auburn might be the only two other universities with a fan, in possession of season tickets, who routinely shows up to football and basketball games dressed up like the famed singer.

“We’d joke that others could join our little clique,” Crumley said. “Well, maybe not an Alabama (Crimson Tide) Elvis. We have to have standards.”

Crumley said that he has known Suckow for a while, connecting years ago on social media after both realizing their claim to their school’s Elvis title. But the two have never had an Elvis faceoff before, because Auburn and Iowa have never squared off in a major sporting event – until now.

“Everyone knows Elvis is an icon,” said Crumley. “I’ll go to games and wear the suit and little 4- and 5-year-olds will come up and say, ‘Hey, that is Elvis.’ I ask, ‘how do you know who Elvis is?’ Even little kids know.”

Crumley said he is on his third outfit, while Suckow claims he is on his fourth jumpsuit.

Suckow’s mother, an avid seamstress, made his first outfit.

“If she had not worked at the Department of Transportation for 25 years, she could’ve gone to Hollywood to work on costumes,” Suckow said.

Suckow goes to more Iowa games than Crumley does to Auburn games. He has also become a bit of a local celebrity in Iowa City, and his Twitter following is more than 19,000. He recently made an appearance to a Special Olympics event and has helped the children’s hospital with fundraisers.

For Crumley, dressing up as The King is more of a “private thing” he does that is for fun, and which he can often be spotted at during home football games at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

He also goes by “Auburn Elvis” while reporting on Auburn University equestrian events for Sports Illustrated. His Twitter handle identifies him as “Sports Illustrated Auburn Elvis.”

“Everyone identifies who I am,” said Crumley. “I’ve made a lot of friends who have identified me as Auburn Elvis.”