Monday, September 04, 2006

FAU = No Tradition

Tonight, 80,000 people will be there. The ramps people walk on, made out of cement and enclosed with green metal fencing that goes at least 100 feet in the air will be shaking. The noise will be deafening. The seats people sit on will be vibrating as if an earthquake was hitting. Three minutes before the show starts, heroes will run out onto the battleground led by a 6-foot tall white ibis bird, through a tunnel filled with smoke and will emerge to an eruption of cheers, whistles and claps.

It's the Orange Bowl. It's the Miami Hurricanes playing the Florida State Seminoles. It's the game fans look forward to from the second the previous year's game ended.

The game is 50 miles down I-95, yet for FAU, the atmosphere that stadium creates seems 50,000 miles away.

It's called TRADITION - something FAU is struggling to build. The fraternities and sororities don't have houses on campus, so there is no real Greek tradition. There is no football stadium on campus, so there is no football tradition. And with employee turnover rates in some areas very high, no one sticks around to develop something special.

For over 10 years, block painting was one of the only traditions on campus. Clubs and organizations would receive free paint from Student Government and would paint their logos, goals and colors on a 6-foot by 6-foot square of sidewalk. The sidewalk leading from the main thoroughfare to the resident halls was decorated for many years.

That stopped after 2003 because construction was taking place and the buildings that surrounded the sidewalks were demolished. Replacing the sidewalks that were once rich with tradition are now open areas of grass, sprinklers, empty beer cans, food wrappers and an occasional game of Frisbee.

FAU has to start a tradition - something - soon.

Gator Growl has been around for many many years. It's the University of Florida's Homecoming celebration that is attended by students, alum, fans and even students from other universities. FAU's Homecoming = Owl Prowl; complete with a comedy show (usually the best attended event with over 2,000 students), a dance, a football game, and other events that students don't attend.

The University of Miami baseball games have created a tradition of their own. After balls and strikes, fans chant certain words or phrases to correspond with the count. FAU gives coupons for a McDonald's cheeseburger if you help the overworked athletic department interns retrieve a foul ball. Its creatively called the FOWL ball promotion.

The Florida State Seminole fans chop their hands to the beat of their fight song when anything good happens - a touchdown, turnover, interception, etc. Some FAU fans chant "Who Let the Owls Out - hoot hoot hoot hoot hoot" to the song of "Who Let the Dogs Out?”

The Pegasus (their mascot) at UCF comes onto the field of cheers with traditional chants and hand movements. FAU runs onto the football field led by an Owl that has had three different names over the past five years. FAU also runs onto the field coming from a parking lot, then running through an open gate that separates the field from the fans.

Something small needs to happen. Something big will come from it.

Have any ideas for starting a tradition? A new chant? A song? A hand movement? Something on campus?

Post your comments.

3 Comments:

At 12:08 PM, Blogger Rick "$mitty" Smith said...

Udee:

Thanks for your comment. You are right about fickle SFLA fans. The Marlins will always have trouble filling their seats - that's because parking is $15 while tickets to the game are $2.

As for FAU fans, there is NO reason why they can't go to the games. Tickets are free for students and so is parking if you ride the student bus down to the game.

And you are right about staying and winning a national championship in Div. 1-AA. However, remember that because FIU went D-1A, we would have lost any potential recruits and would have had a mediocre D-1AA school. If FIU didn't move, we wouldn't have moved.

 
At 7:56 PM, Blogger ttallman said...

I don't know much about our football team (or football in general...) but I do know that something really does need to happen. As a transfer student coming from CU-Boulder, I know how important school spirit is in the college experience. Dude, FAU is lame compared to other bigger universities. Problem is, FAU can be GREAT. We're right in South Florida! I'll keep thinking about new things to bring tradition to the campus, but it's gonna be hard.

 
At 11:23 PM, Blogger Rick "$mitty" Smith said...

Hooked:
While your comments about bringing in a new, young coach may be correct. However, remember why Schnellenberger was brought to FAU:
1) He did it at UM
2) He did it at Louisville
3) Donations
Schnellenberger is one of the greatest coaches of all time. He revived both the Miami and Louisville programs. He has already set records at FAU such as being the quickest D-1AA team to make it to the playoffs (three years) and also the quickest D-1AA team to beat a D-1A team (Middle Tenn. State in 2003.)

 

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