Gosh! 'napoleon Dynamite' Star Jon Heder Dishes Out Tater Tots Ahead Of Byu's Sweet 16 Game

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.