20 great traditions in college sports
College traditions that have been embraced and passed down through the years often are as exciting and anticipated as the games themselves. Here are 20 of the best traditions in college sports to help kick off March Madness.
Kansas' Rock Chalk chant and arm wave
Kansas fans have their own version of the wave, and it’s a nod to the state’s agricultural heritage. At crucial times in a football or basketball game, students slowly wave their arms over their heads, mimicking a field of Kansas wheat swaying in the breeze. The school’s famous Rock Chalk chant dates all the way back to 1886 and, according to the school, evolved from a cheer that a chemistry professor created for the science club.
Ohio State band's Script Ohio
A lot of schools have marching bands, but only one has a famous cursive signature. Ohio State’s Best Damn Band in the Land is one of the few all brass and percussion bands in the U.S. The ballyhooed Script Ohio is formed before home football games, and each time a different sousaphone player gets the honor of dotting the “i.” In rare instances, a non-band member gets the honor. Guest “i” dotters have included Bob Hope, Jack Nicklaus, James “Buster” Douglas, John Glenn and Woody Hayes.
Stanford's World’s Largest Rock and Roll Band
The Stanford University marching band calls itself the World’s Largest Rock and Roll Band. And like true rock ‘n’ rollers, they push the limits of good taste. The band has made waves over the years by (among many other things) mocking the Patty Hearst kidnapping, insulting Catholicism and Irish people during games against Notre Dame, playing the song “She’s Not There” outside the O.J. Simpson trial and mocking farmers during a Rose Bowl game against Iowa.
Duke's Cameron Crazies
The Cameron Crazies are those wacky, blue-painted kids at Duke basketball games. Named after Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Crazies throughout the years have mocked opposing players for their run-ins with the law and other embarrassments. Their taunts are legend; “air ball” was reportedly coined here. To become one of the crazies, you have to first set up camp in “Krzyzewskiville.” For more than 30 years, students have camped out in a tent city outside the stadium as they line up for seats.
Georgia Tech's Ramblin' Wreck
In 1961 the official Ramblin' Wreck car was unveiled before 43,500 fans at Grant Field, leading the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team onto the field. It has happened at every home game since. According to the university, the first reference to a Ramblin' Wreck vehicle on campus was a 1914 Ford owned by Floyd Field, the dean of men.
San Diego State student section (The Show)
Lots of fans do giant head cutouts of famous people to distract free throw shooters, but San Diego State students are credited with starting it all. The Aztec student section for home basketball games is often a rowdy, raucous, wacky zoo of fans cheering on their team. They’re known as The Show. According to some reports, someone once posted on an SDSU sports message board, “You guys think you’re the whole show.” The name stuck.
Clemson football's Hill and Howard's Rock
Clemson football is awash is time-honored traditions. Often called the most exciting 25 seconds in college football, running down The Hill began because the football team suited up at Fike Field House and ran from there to the grassy hill and onto the field, according to the university website. There’s also Howard’s Rock. The rock was placed on a pedestal at the top of The Hill in 1966, and the next year, coach Frank Howard told his players if they gave 110 percent, they could rub the rock. The team won, and now football players rub it for luck as they pass by while thousands of orange-clad Tiger fans cheer them on.
Colorado's Ralphie the Buffalo
Ralphie the Buffalo is the live mascot for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. (Ralphie is a she, by the way; female bison are easier to wrangle than cantankerous males.) The 2017 season was the 50th year of Colorado’s Ralphie tradition; the current mascot is Ralphie V. It takes five student handlers to steer Ralphie around Folsom Field on game days.
Saint Joseph’s Hawk mascot
You think you’ve got a tough job. The Hawk is the mascot of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. The mascot takes the school’s motto — “The Hawk Will Never Die” — to extreme lengths by flapping its wings nonstop during every game. The Hawk doesn’t even rest for halftime. ESPN did the math and figured that the Hawk flaps its wings about 3,500 times during an average game.
Tennessee’s run-through-the-T and 'Rocky Top'
The Tennessee football team’s run-through-the-T entrance in front of roughly 100,000 fans at Neyland Stadium has become a beloved tradition over the last 50 years. The band forms a two-sided T, and the team comes storming through the middle before taking a hard left to the sidelines. The Volunteer faithful — a checkerboard sea of orange and white in the stands — also sing “Rocky Top” at the top of their lungs during games.
Texas A&M's 12th Man
Texas A&M’s 12th Man tradition dates back to 1922 when the short-handed Aggies were playing the mighty Centre College Praying Colonels. A&M’s team was decimated by injury that day, and Coach Dana X. Bible was afraid he wouldn’t have enough players to field a team as the game wore on. But Bible remembered that student E. King Gill, who had unsuccessfully tried out for the team, was in the stands. Bible sent for Gill, who suited up and stood on the sideline, ready to go in if needed. Gill never got in the game, but the Aggies scored a shocking upset. Gill came to symbolize the entire student section, backing up his team. Today, the Texas A&M student section is the 12th Man.
Hoosiers basketball timeout: 'William Tell Overture' and 'Indiana Fight Song'
The Hoosiers have turned the pedestrian basketball timeout into an anticipated event. The “William Tell Overture” is played at the first under 8-minute timeout of the second half of every Indiana basketball game. The cheerleaders start by gathering at center court for a spirited pom-pom routine before grabbing several big flags and running around the court. After the overture, the band leads the crowd in the “Indiana Fight Song.” Things get loud.
Penn State volleyball
Penn State volleyball fans who get to Rec Hall a bit early for a home match get to see a great tradition going on. The Nittany Lions women, who have earned seven national championships over the years, gather behind the bleachers, slap their hands on the back of them and then take two laps around the gym. At the end of their drills, players lift the shortest member of the team high over the net, turning her into a soaring 6-footer for one moment. And at the end of the game, the team joins the fans on the court for a spirited singing of the “Penn State Alma Mater” accompanied by the band.
Taylor University basketball: silent until the 10th point
Any student section can yell and scream. But Taylor University in Upland, Ind., had the bright idea to shut up. Every year at a game right before finals, Taylor students dress up in wacky costumes, pack Odle Arena — and stay completely silent, until the Trojans score their 10th point.
'Jump Around' at Wisconsin football games
Wisconsin football fans have been jumping around to the House of Pain classic “Jump Around” since the 1990s. The song is played between the third and fourth quarters at Camp Randall Stadium, and it really gets the place hopping. Those in the press box can feel the stadium shaking. The tradition was temporarily halted during the 2003 season because of fears that the stadium couldn’t handle the stress of the vibrations. But after structural engineers gave their OK, the tradition resumed.
Oklahoma's Sooner Schooner
The Sooner Schooner has been cruising around at Oklahoma football games since the 1960s. Pulled by two ponies (named Boomer and Sooner after the school fight song), the wagon is a replica of those used by settlers of the Oklahoma Territory in the 1800s. The Schooner has had a few mishaps over the years: It got stuck in the muddy field during the 1985 Orange Bowl (incurring a 15-yard penalty for the team) and tipped over during a 1993 game against Colorado.
The Wave at Iowa football games
Iowa football fans have a new tradition that is so charming and heartwarming, we hope it sticks around for many years: The Wave. Kinnick Stadium is next to the new University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, and hospital patients have a bird’s-eye view of the sea of gold and black on game days. What started as a suggestion on a Facebook fan page has turned into something grand and glorious. Hawkeye fans stand at the end of the first quarter and wave to where the children and their families have gathered to watch the game.
Southern University's Human Jukebox Marching Band and Dancing Dolls
Sometimes the halftime entertainment is just as good, if not better, than the game. At halftime during Southern University games, people stay in their seats. The Human Jukebox, the marching band at Southern in Baton Rouge, La., and the accompanying Dancing Dolls are among the best in the country. The Human Jukebox, which has been going strong for more than 60 years, has performed at five Super Bowls and a presidential inauguration.
Arkansas Razorbacks' Hog Call
The Razorbacks take their Hog Call very seriously. The university website includes detailed instructions on the traditional way to do the call at games: Raise your arms above your head during the Hog Call, yell “Woo” and wiggle your fingers for a few seconds. Next, bring both arms straight down with fists clinched while yelling “Pig.” Then extend your right arm with a “Sooie.” Repeat these steps two more times and finish by yelling, “Wooooooooo. Pig. Sooie! Wooooooooo. Pig. Sooie! Wooooooooo. Pig. Sooie! Razorbacks!”
Florida's Gator chomp
There is a proper way to the do the Gator chomp. You must get it right. Right arm over left, arms straight. That is the only way to do it, Florida fans insist. If you go to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, more commonly known as The Swamp, you also will see Albert the Gator, who has been depicted in many forms, from a live alligator in 1957 to a robotic alligator and, finally, as a full-body costume introduced in 1970. Alberta was introduced as Albert’s sidekick in 1986.