Guest Blogger: The Need for Some JMU Traditions
1. Welcome home
As many wanted, Welcome Home has been made into the kickoff song. I supported it, I love it, but I’d make some minor changes. I want to use it as our entrance song. Every great entrance at any school has a great song. At UNC its Jump Around. At Tech it’s Enter Sandman. They go crazy for it. I hate them, but you can’t deny how awesome it is. They think it’s theirs. We need a song that JMU fans can think of as theirs. Welcome Home can be it. But we need to use the part of the song the band uses. Imagine 25k chanting before the team runs out onto the field and tell me that wouldn’t be intimidating. I have compiled what I think it would be an awesome entrance. Tell me what you think. JMU Entrance
2. Smokestack
I have seen and heard many attempts at turning the smokestack by Bridgeforth into something. It really does add some character I think. The setting of Bridgeforth is quite beautiful if you’ve never thought to recognize this with the mountains, Wilson in the distance and the smokestack. An idea I have is after every JMU touchdown, purple smoke could emanate from the stack. I don’t know the functionality of the stack itself but that would be quite a cool sight. If every touchdown is too frequent (not really a problem last year but hopefully Anderson can single-handedly change that) then it might be cooler to do it just after a JMU victory. That way everyone going down 81 and everyone in Harrisonburg would know JMU has just won. It would create something of a reward for players and fans alike after a win and something players strive for after a loss.
3. Fourth Quarter song/Pump up video.
Many schools have a video accompanied with a song at the start of the fourth. At Carolina it’s a Hells Bells remix that sends chills down my spine. JMU needs this. The crowd needs to be revamped at the most critical juncture of the game. Many songs come to mind. This could also be used at the start of the second half to get us students back up on our feet since many (who stay that long) don’t pay attention to kickoff since they are socializing. A song could snap them back to attention and that song would signify the beginning of the second half.
4. Rock the Campus
An idea me and my roommate came up with was to utilize the JMU radio station for game day use. 2 hour or so before every game, the station could play a playlist of “jock jams” and MRD songs. If every person tailgating, every student in the dorm, every apartment building and every car driving to the ‘Burg for the game tuned into that station, that could be seriously awesome for lack of a better term. More realistically if just HALF of every person did that, that would still be pretty impressive sounding. This could also signal when it is time to pack up and head into the stadium, for those tailgaters who never seem to realize.
These are just four of the ideas I have thought about. All four would seriously add to the JMU Game Day experience which would just make it more likely for sellouts. Like it or not we have to compete with the Hokies and Hoos on any given Saturday for attendance, not too mention our other FCS brethren and the likes of WVU, Maryland and the North Carolina schools. To maintain and increase the JMU football atmosphere, the culture needs to change, these four possible traditions could help do just that.
“As a Born and Bred Tar Heel…”
That makes 2 of us. I was too short to play football there and ended up at JMU. If I had to make the choice again, it would be JMU all-the-way….no question.
Excellent post. Great ideas!
We need to incorporate something that involves “start wearing purple” chants by 25k fans. That is a simple, great, catchy thing to add. Then we could actually have a purple out day. Also, the team should never wear those God awful gold uniforms again. Ever.
2004, I always tell people I’m tar heel born and bred, but I’ll die in
Purple. At the game in September(my brother currently goes to UNC and my parents both did so we couldn’t miss that game) I made a shirt that said JMU student on the front, and tar heel born on the back. Wore purple shoes with Carolina blue laces.
If anyone posts on JMU’s CAA board, could you link to this. I’m serious about getting these traditions out there
Good ideas Sean. I particularly like the sound of purple smoke coming out of the smoke stack after a victory.
I’d like to see some sort of tradition start around the idea of getting everyone into the stadium prior to kickoff. Something like the band marching through campus and everyone following them to BFS.
The Welcome Home entrance is a great addition and I hope it sticks around for awhile, just like VT’s Enter Sandman. Remember when Welcome to the Jungle was used for a few years (’04, ’05, ’06 maybe?).
I would like to see a tradition when our opposing offense is facing a 3rd down situation. Say what you will, but VT’s key play is pretty cool because 60,000 people are all jingling their keys. Even the library at W&M has a video that says “It’s 3rd down Tribe!”
Some great ideas from everyone on here. I can’t remember but I think it was when the redskins opened fed ex field they played cuts from Braveheart at the battle of Stirling when they were all screaming and taunting the English… It was awesome and got people pumped. I’m thinking if we could do something like that where we show a pregame clip and then Mel yelling “Hold”, then q1 clip, then him yelling hold again, same for q2 and q3…. And then flash up 4th Quarter on the jumbotron and Mel yelling “now!!!” with all the Scots screaming that would be awesome!! Then while people are still pumped play something to keep them amped up till play starts…
Definitely some good ideas. I like the “Welcome Home” idea because I think it’s a song that we could claim as our own unlike some of the other generic songs that you hear everywhere. As much as I hate everything having to do with the hokies…I have to admit that the “Enter Sandman” thing they have going on is pretty impressive…
Ryan,
I think that is a fantastic idea! I am getting pumped up just thinking about it!
I definitely like the purple smoke out of the smokestack idea. Maybe also the marching band can try to play something that is “JMU” (besides the fight song obviously) that gets the crowd going on certain plays/situations. Another thing, kind of like Beaver Stadium is they have the lion growl right after a big play by PSU. I think maybe the Carolina Panthers do the similar thing. Maybe we can have a dog growl or something. That may be too cheesy but it was something that came to mind. I know we already have the J-M-U DUUUUUKES after 1st downs so I wouldn’t want to take that away.
We need a big ass bell. A real one.
Turn the smokestack into a Bell Tower if we need to, or put it in Wilson’s cupola – open the windows up there and let er rip. Ring it for a little while just before we start the Welcome Home intro and then ring the hell out if it as the purple smoke comes out of the smokestack after a victory. No victory, no post-game bell.
There’s something ominous and intimidating about (real) big ass loud bells.
(Side note: the fake Hells Bells stuff on third down is already getting a bit cheesy though. But if we’re going to keep it, we should change our intro song to For Whom the Bell Tolls – though VT may have already cornered the Metallica market.)
These are all good ideas. The campus station even sounds very doable and would be a great signal to head in. 30 mins from kickoff they could count down the biggies (Welcome Home, Start Wearing Purple, Fight Song) and when they hit the Fight Song you better be walking.
I love Welcome Home for the entrance and Start Wearing Purple for the 4th Quarter. Those are both off the radar enough that they would be completely our own!
I like the idea of rolling the Duke Dog statue with leftover purple and gold streamers as people walk out of the stadium after a win…ala Toomer’s corner.
Purple smoke would be awesome after a win. Good idea. The worst part about traditions is when the school’s marketing department gets involved. (see “Zoo Cage” circa 1994) I’ve told Rob and the Athletic Department my idea. The band currently warms up near Eagle. That’s pointless. Make them warm up over by the student tailgaiting. Then when it’s ready, they can march down the street toward Godwin field. The whole campus will hear them. Everyone will know it’s time to go to the stadium. Then, they pass by Godwin Field, play a tune or two, and everyone packs up. You could have an honoray drum major lead the band down the street every week and into the stadium. It could be a 3rd grade class or a big donor. Whatever. Don’t publicize, just do it. Apparently, this idea got shot down. Seems simple to me.
I also forgot to add a “Gold Out” game. I love the Gold tops and purple pants combo that we wore against Villanova. That has become a tradition recently and I think it would be cool if the administration and fans grabbed a hold of it. They have run away with the Pink thing, but I think replacing that with a Gold theme year in and year out would be cool.
I love the band Idea that is what Norte Dame does and its such a cool tradition the band plays through all of their tailgating sections and than marches into the stadium with alot of people right behind them “pump up” and following them right in the stadium. How about Start me up for the 4th quarter and Welcome to the jungle. What ever song chosen it needs to include the jumping up and down by the fans thats what makes Sandman so cool… love the purple smoke idea and the radio station idea too. They could have someone take pictures of tailgate parties before games and then they should be shown up on the scoreboard at some point of the game maybe right after the national anthem with fans hollering out “DDDuukes” like Jimmy Buffet does at his concerts. I also think when players come out at halftime they should have to walk through a gaulet of ex JMU football players or other JMU athletes lined up on the field getting them back up for the second half. That would help bring ex players back too and it would remind the players how important the first series of the second half is. Those are my thoughts but when I went to my fiirst Norte Dame game the entrance of the band made me want to put a uniform on and kick some butt I love it!!!
I love the band idea. At Carolina they play in “the Pit” if any of you have ever been there. Its a sunked area of campus made of brick and everyone gathers to here them play. I have thought many times the band should play in a more commonly walked around area.
I think Start me Up and Welcome to the Jungle are way too used but something like that is a good idea.
AS FOR THE STREAMERS ON THE DUKE DOG AFTER A WIN! Lets do it, that is something we can do on our own. If everyone saves one streamer, that would be more than enough. Wrap the dog all up and just start doing it from now on!
IF we want it more like Toomer’s Corner, do it to the trees right outside the stadium. I am dead serious guys, let’s make this happen.
Regarding suggestion number 2, back in the late, unlamented, Joe Purzycki era (1985-90), we often said that we should have a cannonball fired out of the smokestack every time JMU scored a touchdown. It would’ve made a good visual and gotten some publicity for a program sorely in need of it at that time.
Love the band idea. I’ve been to several Notre Dame games, and Steve is right – the band winds through campus and through (or near) many of the tailgating spots near the stadium. They’re like the pied piper – they pick up folks who then follow them to (and into) the stadium. It’s pretty cool.
Do they use the Hillside field for tailgating now? I don’t see any reason why the band shouldn’t be warming up there, then making its way to the stadium parade-style up Dukes Drive.
It’s probably a traffic thing.
JMU has a good football program, check.
JMU has an awesome band, check.
JMU has a beautiful campus, check.
JMU has a tailgating scene, check.
JMU has tailgate lots scattered throughout, check.
Just seems to make sense that they do this. That and the smokestack and smoke thing.
The Jock Jams thing is a neat idea, but it wouldn’t work. WXJM’s license requires it to play only music that isn’t readily available on other commercial stations in the market. Since Harrisonburg has top 40 and rock staitons, that pretty much precludes Jock Jam-type music.
like the smokestack idea….paint it JMU gold. write JMU Dukes sideways up the stack with the duke dog image on top; purple smoke is great.
Song – InnaGoddaDaVida….old school!!!!
Great ideas. How bout turning the stack into a giant roman candle or flamethrower? Get some pyrotech crew to color the flame purple and really put on an exciting, dangerous post-win spectacle!
Also, they should play Enya after a loss to motivate the team to work harder because who the hell wants to listen to Enya.