Big Ten Football 2011: Power Ranking the Best School Traditions
Traditions are what make college football the greatest sporting spectacle in America and what make the Big Ten one of the premier conferences.
They give us a sense of community and camaraderie. They stand the test of time, and we look forward to these events and places every time the leaves begin to turn and there becomes a nip in the air.
There are some pretty interesting traditions around the Big Ten. From a Frisbee-catching dog to spinning gopher heads, Big Ten fans take in some great gameday experiences.
Who has the best traditions? I'll power rank them here and then touch on a few conference traditions that have to be mentioned any time you talk about the Big Ten, football and history.
12. Defend the Rock—Indiana
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It's a relatively new tradition within the Big Ten. Started in 2005, Hoosier coaches and players exit the tunnel and touch "The Rock" before taking the field for home football games.
The tradition was started by former IU football coach Terry Hoeppner as a motivational tool for his players. Hoeppner is largely credited with making football relevant again in a state that was basketball oriented.
The rock was first found in an IU practice field, but Hoeppner had it unearthed, placed upon a granite slab and positioned next to the tunnel. "Defend the Rock" became the battle cry of his teams, and it has been a tradition since.
Sadly, Terry Hoeppner died of complications from a brain tumor in 2007. The rock still stands as a reminder of the energy he brought to the program, and "Defend the Rock" is still a mantra of Hoosier fans and players and likely will be for years to come.
Other Hoosier traditions include:
R-O-C-K in the USA—This tribute to Indiana-born John Mellencamp that's played by the band at the end of the first quarter.
The Walk—Hoosier football players walk through the tailgating area two hours before game time to greet the fans.
With all due respect to John Mellencamp, that song doesn't do enough in the tradition category to bump Indiana any higher, and many schools have their version of "the walk" nowadays. Continuing the tradition that Hoeppner started is touching, but overall you're a little light on traditions, Hoosier fans.
11. Zeke the Wonder Dog at Michigan State
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I know, it may seem odd or even a little wimpy that a Frisbee-catching K-9 would rank as one of the great Big Ten traditions. Traditions are about more than just the chest-thumping awesomeness of the game, though.
Great traditions are about the things we love about game day. Zeke the Wonder Dog is just such a tradition at Michigan State.
The original Zeke was the partner of MSU junior Gary Elsenberg. The two competed in the mid-1970's in the national disc catching championships held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. In 1977, officials at the university invited Gary and Zeke to perform at the halftime show of a football game and, as they say, the rest is history.
The original Zeke (a golden Labrador retriever) was replaced in 1984 by a chocolate lab named Keze (the reversal of Zeke). The current "Zeke" is another golden lab named BooCoo (following the retirement of a black lab named Dexter). The handlers/trainers of Zeke are Terry and Jim Foley.
Check any fan site that deals with traditions at Michigan State and you'll see Zeke the Wonder Dog as one of the most often mentioned traditions of Spartan football.
Other notable traditions of Michigan State include:
Go Green/Go White cheer
Block "S"/MSU Shield—The band marches in Block "S" then transforms into Spartan shield.
"Thunderstruck" entrance—What is it about AC/DC and awesome motivational rock music? The team enters to "Thunderstruck" with video clips that include scenes from the move "300."
10. Illinois' Memorial Stadium
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While it may be odd to think of a building as a "tradition," how can you overlook a structure that has stood as a living monument to 200 Illinoisans that fell during World War I?
The stadium was built in 1923 and opened that November to a 7-0 Homecoming victory for Illinois over the University of Chicago. The names of 200 men and women from Illinois who perished in "The War to End All Wars" are inscribed upon columns on the east and west sides of the stadium.
Memorial Stadium also houses the Grange Rock, a large granite stone taken from the same quarry that provided the stone for the granite columns and is named after legendary Illini Red Grange.
Memorial Stadium has been home to Illini greats since the early '20s and is a proud part of Big Ten tradition.
Other great Illinois traditions of note include:
Block I's Card Stunts—These colored card stunts from the student section that have been performed since 1926.
The Illini Walk—Athletes and coaches walk along Irwin Drive while the fans greet them.
Marching Illini's Three in One.
Again, many schools have "the walk," so that doesn't really help the Illini's cause in these power rankings, but having been one of the first (if not the first) to incorporate the card stunts is pretty cool.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
9. Is This Heaven? No, It's Iowa.
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After every Iowa win, the marching band plays "In Heaven There is No Beer/Iowa Hawkeye Victory Polka" which features the lines "in heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here, and when we're gone from here, our friends will be drinking all our beer."
Started in the 1960's, the band plays the song following every Hawkeye victory that they attend. How can you go wrong with a student-adapted song turned into an alternate fight song that happens to be about beer?
Another great, albeit recent, tradition at Iowa is their entrance to the AC/DC anthem "Back in Black." It can send chills down your spine to hear the power guitars kick in over the loud speaker while a swarm of black-clad Hawkeyes take over the field.
The only thing that might make that better would be if they played on defensive coordinator Norm Parker's "Six Seconds of Hell" mantra and entered to the chilling bell tolls of "Hell's Bells."
Other notable Iowa traditions that affect their ranking:
Touching of the Nile Kinnick Statue before games.
Nile Kinnick's Heisman acceptance speech played at every home game before the National Anthem.
"Big Ass Turkey Legs"—If you're in Iowa City on gameday, you've got to have one. These things alone should bump Iowa up another notch or two.
It's almost a little sad that Iowa has had just one Heisman Trophy winner in their entire history, but that's still better than some programs. Kinnick's speech is widely considered one of the best acceptance speeches in the history of the trophy. Replaying it is inspiring, though most outsiders might not get the love Iowans have for the man speaking the words.
The Hawkeyes get huge props for the turkey legs though. Seriously...a beer song and huge turkey legs. All they need are some maces, shields and swords, and it would be time to get medieval.
8. Wildcat Alley
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I'm not really sure how long Wildcat Alley has been a part of the tradition at Northwestern, but it's well worth getting the "official" nod on this list.
There's free beer (yes, free). There are festivities for every age group. The Northwestern University Marching Band (aptly named NUMB) gets the crowd in the spirit.
Northwestern doesn't have the rich heritage of such programs as Michigan or Ohio State, but they make the best of what they've got, and Wildcat Alley is a beloved part of gameday. Those sober enough to make their way to the stadium might even enjoy a great football game...
Other notable Northwestern traditions include:
Walker Way—Named for former coach Randy Walker, this is where fans greet the team on their way to the stadium.
The Purple Clock—This turns purple for Wildcat victories or white in defeat.
Laking the Posts—It's no longer done, but previous generations would tear down the goal posts after Wildcat victories, pass them up through the stands and march them down Central Street to toss them ceremoniously into Lake Michigan.
Perhaps it's not fair to give Northwestern props for a tradition that is now defunct, but I have to. Laking the posts is pretty cool in my book, even if it is technically destruction of property...and littering. Is it the fans' fault that the new goal posts are so strongly anchored that they can't remove them any more?
They get bumped up because it's a part of their tradition but fail to climb any higher because it's no longer done.
The Purple Clock also earns them some props. It's unique and is reminiscent of "two if by land, one if by sea."
7. The Minnesota Rouser
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A fan favorite of Minnesotans is Goldy's "spin your head." As fans interact with Goldy, invariably they will begin to chant "spin your head," to which Goldy complies and the crowd goes wild.
Well, I don't know about "wild," but they do love it.
However, if you really want to talk about long and rich traditions, we have to turn to song. "The Minnesota Rouser" is one of the oldest and most recognized fight songs in America.
Right up there with "Hail to the Victors," few things invoke images of sunny Saturday afternoons spent watching football quite like Minnesota's fight song (a variation of which happened to also be my high school fight song).
The song was originally written in 1909 by Floyd Hutsell, the choir director for First Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, as part of a contest to find a new fight song for Minnesota University. Hutsell was later (and more famously) known as Robert LaMar, a vaudeville and operetta actor.
The song has been a staple of Minnesota football for over a century and is well-known throughout college and high school football.
Other notable Minnesota traditions include:
Wearing Maroon for the Iowa game (so as not to have any resemblance to hated Iowa's yellow-gold).
Ski-U-Mah chant—"Ski" is a Sioux battle cry for victory and U-Mah represents the University of Minnesota.
The Iowa/Minnesota rivalry isn't nearly as big as "the Game," but it's been a fairly heated contest for decades. I can respect the wearing maroon tradition for that game.
The Ski-U-Mah chant is unique and Goldy's head-spin is...well...weird...but the fight song clinches this spot for the Gophers.
6. Boilermaker Special
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Most schools have a mascot, but Purdue has a MASCOT! Sure there's the weird miner-looking dude that trolls around the stadium, but the Boilermaker Special is the official mascot of the Purdue Boilermakers.
The version shown in the photo is Boilermaker Special V, as shown on the Purdue Reamer Club website. A smaller version called the X-tra Special leads the team out onto the field on gameday.
Nothing says "we're going to roll you over like a steam train" quite like having an actual steam train as the mascot!
Unfortunately, Purdue hasn't been able to back that up much on the football field. Still, it's a great sight and a fantastic tradition for the program and its fans.
Other notable traditions for Purdue include:
Boiler Up! chant (with accompanying train whistle)
Big Bass Drum—and they do mean big. It takes four people to wheel it onto and around the field.
"I Am an American" speech, recited by the crowd before every home game since 1966.
A steam train, an American speech and one really big bass drum. Maybe I should have moved them up a little higher...
Nah, but I like the spirit of Purdue, even through the lean years.
5. Jump Around Wisconsin
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You know you're at a Wisconsin Badgers football game when the third quarter ends, The House of Pain anthem "Jump Around" blasts through the loudspeakers and you start hoping you aren't sitting on a major fault line.
The house rocks! Literally! Or rather, it shakes, as if that makes much of a difference.
This is another fairly recent tradition. It all started in 1998 in a game against Purdue and has been a staple of Wisconsin football since.
When the game had lacked much offensive pop, a marketing engineer working in the sound popped the track in and the place went wild. The school attempted to squash the tradition in 1993 because of concerns related to structural integrity and construction around the complex, but it didn't last long and "Jump Around" quickly resumed.
If the fourth quarter is about to start and the earth starts shaking, you've got to be at Camp Randall Stadium.
Other notable Wisconsin traditions include:
The Fifth Quarter—an elongated concert by the marching band that keeps fans in their seats.
Pregame band concert at Union South.
Singing "Buttercup" and doing the "Time Warp" dance
"Buttercup" and "Time Warp" don't do it for me. The pregame concert is okay. The Fifth Quarter is unique, but "Jump Around" and it's tie to Wisconsin football makes this grade.
4. Nebraska's Tunnel Walk
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This is a unique tradition that started back in 1994. Most fans don't get to see their teams until they emerge at the end of the tunnel that leads them to the field.
Not Cornhusker fans.
HuskerVision cameras travel along with their beloved men in red from the moment they leave the locker room, under the lucky horseshoe, down the tunnel and to the entrance of the field. While music blares over the loud speakers, Husker fans feel the tingle of anticipation as they see their team approach the battlefield and finally explode into the light of day.
Also worth mentioning: Since 2006, the Huskers have had members of the Nebraska military services act as guards, or sentries, to their appearance on the field. It is a way for the Cornhuskers to honor their military service men and women and is well worth the mention.
Other notable Nebraska traditions include:
Hail Varsity Fight Song
Legacy Statue
Herbie Husker
As an interesting bit of trivia, did you know that the name "Cornhusker" was originally used by the Iowa team, but was later adopted by Nebraska when Iowa fans decided they liked Hawkeyes better?
Herbie is an icon in college football. The Legacy statue is kind of cool, but not cool enough to help. HuskerVision though, is awesome, and I think every team should adopt a version of it!
3. Penn State's White-out
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It's so simple, yet so cool. Against particularly important opponents, the fans are asked to wear all white, creating a "white out" condition in Beaver Stadium.
I'm not sure it has any particular psychological disadvantage to the opponents, but it sure does look awesome! And nothing pulls the fans together quite like working in unison to create such a unique sight.
According to scout.com's Fight On State, the "White Out" is a relatively new tradition that has caught on quickly. The first official student-section white out was held in 2004, and the first stadium-wide white out took place in 2007.
New or not, it's a great tradition that makes Penn State football exciting to behold.
Other notable Penn State traditions include:
We Are...Penn State chant. This has since been adopted by others.
Nittany Lion crowd surf. Who doesn't love a mascot body-surfing the student section?
Drum Major flip—since 1971 the drum majors have been doing forward flips before each home game.
The chant, the longevity of the flip and a "white out." Lovin' the tradition at Penn State.
2. Script Ohio
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When you think of Ohio State football and tradition, you have to think of "Script Ohio" and the traditional "dotting of the I."
Begun in 1936, Script Ohio has become synonymous with Buckeye football. Interestingly, the first Script Ohio was performed by hated-rival Michigan. It has also been performed by Illinois but belongs firmly to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The "i" is traditionally dotted by a fourth-year Sousaphone player, though legendary astronaut John Glenn got the honor once in 2009.
What is college football without the Ohio State Buckeyes, and what is Ohio State football without Script Ohio?
Other notable traditions for Ohio State include:
Ringing the Victory Bell—Nothing short of Script Ohio is as time-honored in football as ringing the Victory Bell for 15 minutes following a Buckeye victory (longer if the victory is over Michigan).
Singing of "Carmen Ohio" following Buckeye games.
O-H-I-O cheer at the four corners of the Horseshoe.
Some recent traditions are maybe more exciting, but true "traditions" have been enjoyed for decades or more than a century.
Ohio State fits that bill with their traditions.
1. Hail to the Victors—Michigan
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How do you pick just one great tradition from a school like the University of Michigan? The slide shows one such tradition, the touching of the "Go Blue" banner.
However, this is about what accompanies that event, and that's the fight song "Hail to the Victors." When you think about Saturdays in the fall and gridiron magic, it's hard not to hear that iconic song ringing in your ears.
Originally written in 1898 by UM music student Louis Elbel, "Hail to the Victors" celebrated Michigan's narrow victory over the University of Chicago that secured their first Western Conference football championship.
Celebrated by marching band legend John Phillips Sousa, the song became the official fight song of the university and has become synonymous with college football over the generation since it was written.
College football just wouldn't be college football without "Hail to the Victors."
A few other Michigan traditions of note (just a few):
The Big House—another iconic image of college gameday in America.
Touching the Banner
Seat for Fritz Crisler—in honor of the school's former head coach and AD, left vacant at every home game.
It's tough to call. Michigan or Ohio State? Script Ohio or "Hail to the Victors?"
Michigan gets the nod here because every time I see college gameday footage on television, it's accompanied by that fight song and typically includes the touching of the banner.
Traveling Trophies
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While all previous slides deal with each team specifically, the last couple focus on traditions across the Big Ten as a conference.
All conferences have heated rivalries that pass trophies of one sort or another between the participating teams. The Big Ten is no different, and the traveling trophies of the Big Ten are a rich part of the conference's history and tradition. They can't go without mention.
After all, who could not love such trophies as:
The Little Brown Jug (pictured) (Michigan—Minnesota)
Floyd of Rosedale (Iowa—Minnesota) (seriously, a trophy of a prize pig is too cool)
Illibuck (Illinois—Ohio State)
Old Oaken Bucket (Purdue—Indiana)
Purdue Cannon (Purdue—Illinois)
Paul Bunyan's Axe (Wisconsin—Minnesota)
Old Brass Spittoon (Indiana—Michigan State) (another awesome one, if not a little disgusting)
Paul Bunyan's Trophy (Michigan—Michigan State)
Governor's Victory Bell (Minnesota—Penn State)
Land Grant Trophy (Michigan State—Penn State)
Heartland Trophy (Iowa—Wisconsin)
Land of Lincoln Trophy (Illinois—Northwestern)
The Heated Rivalries
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Again, every conference has them, but these rivalries make Big Ten football what it is. It's the seething hatred between fans of the schools. It's the way an entire season can be salvaged with a win over that single opponent.
Who doesn't get excited for a yearly showdown between Michigan and in-state rival Michigan State? Do you not feel a tingle rush down your spine when you contemplate the Ohio State—Penn State clash?
Perhaps a little less noticed, but fierce nonetheless are the crashes between Iowa and Minnesota or Michigan State and Penn State.
Then of course, there's....
The Game
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Despite the "Rich Rod years" in Ann Arbor, "The Game" is Big Ten football. It is college football.
This singular contest is the clash between two of the most storied and historic football programs in all of America. It's as heated as they come, and the fans have perhaps more hatred floating between them than the rest of America combined.
Traditionally, this contest used to determine who the champion of the Big Ten would be and often would help determine who the national champion would be as well. It doesn't get much bigger than that, and it has been a post-Thanksgiving tradition for decades.
Though the game itself has had less impact on the conference standings of late, it is still a rich part of Big Ten tradition and will continue to be so well into the future.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
