Gosh! ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ star Jon Heder dishes out tater tots ahead of BYU’s Sweet 16 game

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Napoleon Dynamite served tater tots on a plate instead of stuffing them in his pocket — and threw his Sweet 16 vote behind BYU.

Actor Jon Heder — who starred as the tots-obsessed title character in the cult comedy classic “Napoleon Dynamite” — appeared with a tray of tots before BYU was set to play Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. Heder was set to meet with BYU’s Richie Saunders, a descendant of the man who invented tater tots and made them the hottest snack during March Madness.

“I’m here to support BYU, to support tots around the world,” Heder said.

Saunders and his tots roots — his great-grandfather, F. “Nephi” Griggs, is the founder of Ore-Ida — has become one of the surprise stories during a tournament largely devoid of bracket-busting upsets. Saunders has cashed in with an endorsement deal that stuck him in advertisements, and Ore-Ida dishes out the crispy sides for free when BYU wins in March Madness.

Ore-Ida ceremonially changed its name to Ore-Richie for the length of BYU’s run in the tournament in tribute to Saunders, and the company was giving away free tots nationwide from tipoff to the final buzzer of BYU’s Sweet 16 game. If the Cougars win their first national championship — they are 80-1 long shots, per BetMGM Sportsbook — Ore-Ida will release a new limited-edition offering: “Richie’s Tater Shots,” inspired by Saunders’ jumper.

Saunders became the most popular potato pitchman since Napoleon Dynamite.

In “Napoleon Dynamite,” Heder’s curly-haired, socially awkward character ultimately triumphs over the high school jocks and cheerleaders because of his quirks, rather than in spite of them. The movie spawned the “Vote for Pedro” T-shirt and made Napoleon’s disgusted version of “Gosh!” into a catchphrase.

It also celebrates the unabashed love of tater tots by Napoleon, who stuffs the deep-fried nuggets into his pockets and eats them while in school.

“Napoleon, give me some of your tots,” one of his classmates barks.

Heder went on to star with Will Ferrell in “Blades of Glory” in 2007, among other movies. But no role has defined the 47-year-old actor — who wore an Ore-Ida T-shirt at the Prudential Center — quite like Napoleon Dynamite.

“I have a connection to tots that harkens back to 20 years ago,” he said. “Before that time, I also went to BYU. We’re at a crossroads right now where my childhood meets my education meets my professional life. It kind of makes sense for me to return to the middle of the crossroads, to meet the devil again and make some new deals.”

That deal included a hopeful BYU victory.

“If they win,” Heder said, “I know it’s because of me.”

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