Boomer brings bang to campus ... from the NT Daily

[ntsumgspe]

Maria Saldivar

Intern

November 16, 2005

A time-honored tradition shakes the foundation of football games and other festivities at NT.

The Talons, an on-campus spirit group, fires off the cannon every year. They’ve done so since 1970.

“It is an honor to fire the cannon as part of a tradition that Talons have upheld over time,” said cannon crewmember Pamela Hogan, North Richland Hills sophomore.

Boomer, the name acquired by “Mean” Joe Greene, was the newest project spirit in the ’70s. The cannon is a two-thirds scale replica of a Civil War six-pound cannon. Other campus groups helped construct the cannon and its carriage.

In the summer of 1989, Talon Rick McKinney and a friend decided to give Boomer a more authentic look and stripped it of its green and white battle paint. A new firing process was put into place to improve the quality of safety. The cannon failed inspection in 1996, so the Talons sought out a more reliable replacement. Boomer went under the knife once more in fall 2004 and was remodeled to its current glory.

“The canon is a celebration of everything North Texas,” said Shea Rodgers, Garland junior and general of the cannon crew.

The cannon’s firing isn’t just a football ritual; it also kicks off Homecoming festivities and University Day in April. A distinct group of Talons members light Boomer. There are two teams of three on the battery division of the cannon crew that rotate out each half. Rodgers serves the entire game.

Practice commences at least two or three times in the fall semesters.

Firing the cannon can be a long, complicated process that the crew has to be able to perform in 20 to 25 seconds. Sometimes that is all the time they have between a touchdown and an extra point.

Hogan said Boomer helps get fans excited and lets the players know that fans are supporting them.

“We appreciate the fan support,” said NT football player David Adams, Garland sophomore. “It’s nice to hear it go off when we do something good.”

There are four cannon crew positions. One member uses a tool called a “worm” to pull aluminum foil out of the breech. Another crewman uses the “Q-Tip,” which has a wet sponge on one end and dry one on the other, to extinguish any embers left inside.

“By the end of the game this person is covered in gun powder,” Rodgers said.

The third crewman uses a plunger rod to ram the charge into the breech, and the fourth crewman punctures a charge through the top of the cannon, called the vent.

“I remember the first game I went to at North Texas, before I was a Talon, and seeing all the people scramble around the cannon and hear the deafening boom, and I thought that it would be the coolest thing if I could just fire it once,” Rodgers said. “It’s hard to miss the cannon at the games. Without the cannon the games would be very different - quieter anyway.”

[VideoEagle]

Back at a game in 76 or 77, several friends were on the cannon crew. They rushed things a bit and one guy named Rob Ray didn't swab out the embers well enough. When Tommy went to tap the charge in place, it went off and blew the plunger out past the 40 yardline between the hash marks. Once everyone had a chance to count fingers and hands and be sure no one was hurt, people started laughing about it.

Kevin von Eric who was playing in the game was joking about that this year with us at Bill Mercer's roast.