Traditions

FirefightnRick · March 22, 2007

What are your favorite traditions at the University of North Texas, and why.

Here's only two of many for me:

"Boomer" the Cannon. It's loud when loaded correctly, and places an exclamation mark on NT scores and victories. Boomer is extremely unique to North Texas as there are very few, if any other college or university who still operates a blackpowder muzzleloader at school events.

The sound of The University of North Texas Mean Green through the "Mean" Green Brigade Marching Band. Put them on your ipod then set it to "shuffle", then wait for one of the many songs from their CD's to come on while riding in the car or listening at home or working out and you will know what I mean. It raises the hair on the back of my neck because it takes me right back to Denton, to the HOME OF THE MEAN GREEN, to GAME TIME! There's no other sound like it and I love it!

Edited March 22, 2007 by FirefightnRick

CMJ · March 22, 2007

Bonfire. While I was in school, nothing made me feel closer to my alma mater than working on the stack for those 8 or so days. Many of my favorite college memories are of cold evenings, with the chain stretching down below me, as I lumbered up 20 feet in the air, trying to figure out where to lay the next pallet down.

Tower Lights. One of my favorite things to do was turning those suckers on. I found any excuse to do so.

Edited March 22, 2007 by CMJ

UNT_playmaker · March 22, 2007

Tortillas..... Ha Ha

KingDL1 · March 22, 2007

We need more tortillas!!!

The rest listed are great too!

DeepGreen · March 22, 2007

Who could forget the Model T and the Victory Bell?

UNTLifer · March 22, 2007

When I was a kid, my favorites were the Model A, the go-cart and Boomer.

Edited March 22, 2007 by UNTLifer

emmitt01 · March 22, 2007

Who could forget the Model T and the Victory Bell?

It's a Model A.

NT91 · March 22, 2007

That's good for another MEAN GREEN FIRST DOWN!!!!!!

greenminer · March 22, 2007

winning the Belt

Travis · March 22, 2007

It's a Model A.

I am so glad you found it important to clarify that. I was about to freak out. I was really getting worried that it was a model T. Model A's are fine with me. But, if we associate ourselves with a model T then I am done with this program.

emmitt01 · March 22, 2007

I am so glad you found it important to clarify that. I was about to freak out. I was really getting worried that it was a model T. Model A's are fine with me. But, if we associate ourselves with a model T then I am done with this program.

Really? The difference between a model A and a model T isn't so important to me...accuracy and not being an ass towards those who value it is though.

ntsumgspe · March 22, 2007

Trips to New Orleans.

Smitty · March 22, 2007

A tradition we once had, and need to build again: loud crowds.

Back in the Bill Blakely days, we got some pretty good crowds at basketball games, and we could be really noisy. North Texas earned a reputation as being a tough place to play. The crowd would get going, Blakely's up-tempo game would get going, and next thing an opponent knew they down a dozen and calling time out. Then the chant of "Welcome to the Pit" would reverberate through the place.

That's the tradition I want to see at UNT. Make North Texas a tough place to play. Loud crowds making it tough for opponents - football or basketball or whatever. And with a fast-paced, no huddle Todd Dodge offense, there is every chance to get that kind of atmosphere going, where North Texas is moving the ball and the crowd is roaring and next thing the opponent knows, they're down a couple of touchdowns.

emmitt01 · March 22, 2007

A tradition we once had, and need to build again: loud crowds.
Back in the Bill Blakely days, we got some pretty good crowds at basketball games, and we could be really noisy. North Texas earned a reputation as being a tough place to play. The crowd would get going, Blakely's up-tempo game would get going, and next thing an opponent knew they down a dozen and calling time out. Then the chant of "Welcome to the Pit" would reverberate through the place.
That's the tradition I want to see at UNT. Make North Texas a tough place to play. Loud crowds making it tough for opponents - football or basketball or whatever. And with a fast-paced, no huddle Todd Dodge offense, there is every chance to get that kind of atmosphere going, where North Texas is moving the ball and the crowd is roaring and next thing the opponent knows, they're down a couple of touchdowns.

Exactly right. Those that were in New Orleans can attest to how this works. We were up on Memphis then Memphis made a couple quick buckets. Almost as if on cue their crowd gets out of their seats and starts roaring...Memphis feeds off of this noise and completes a run that puts us down at the half. Then, in the second half when it looked like we might claw our way back into it, their crowd takes over the game again. I have only once seen a North Texas crowd take over a game. Plenty of times I've seen people tell others to sit down because their ruining their library atmosphere.

Starchild0224 · March 22, 2007

I'll have to go with Bonfire on this one. As far as I know I'm still the only Talon to be set on fire with the bonfire.

FirefightnRick · March 22, 2007

By the way, CMJ and Deep mentioned two traditions that are also very unique to North Texas. The Victory Bell and the Model A. I have yet to see another Model A at another school but there may be one I don't know of. But the bell is extremely unique. Like Boomer, the Bell's setup was hand built by students and alumni and customized for The University of North Texas. The Bell weighs around 1200 to 1500 lbs and is mounted on a motorized vehicle. I have seen other schools with bells, for sure. But none had one nearly that size let alone be able to drive down the road. That would be the road to Victory I should say.

My point for this thread was for fun, but to also educate those new to our program as well. So many people out there among us think NT is just another commuter school, with little spirit, very little athletic success and few traditions. That simply is not the case, at all. And it's OUR fault that so many would think this because we as a university community have done a very poor job promoting, selling and teaching them about our school. While completing both of the last two phases of "Boomer" I had to trailer him to several places between Denton, Fort Worth and Weatherford and everywhere I went he drew interest from the public. Most were caught by surprised when they learned who he belonged to.

Rick

Starchild0224 · March 22, 2007

I am so glad you found it important to clarify that. I was about to freak out. I was really getting worried that it was a model T. Model A's are fine with me. But, if we associate ourselves with a model T then I am done with this program.

Ah the days of pushing that car around the track!!!!

CMJ · March 22, 2007

Back in the Bill Blakely days, we got some pretty good crowds at basketball games, and we could be really noisy. North Texas earned a reputation as being a tough place to play. The crowd would get going, Blakely's up-tempo game would get going, and next thing an opponent knew they down a dozen and calling time out. Then the chant of "Welcome to the Pit" would reverberate through the place.

New chant for the Pit Crew next season. After we get a run on someone I wanna hear a thunderous chorus of WELCOME TO THE PIT on the audio broadcast.

Smitty · March 23, 2007

New chant for the Pit Crew next season. After we get a run on someone I wanna hear a thunderous chorus of WELCOME TO THE PIT on the audio broadcast.

Oh, that was so sweet back in the day. A few thousand people roaring "welcome to the Pit" over and over and over as the opponent huddled around its coach and tried to stem the flow. This was not an easy place to play. Some teams definitely got rattled.

CMJ · March 23, 2007

Sounds glorious Smitty.

Mad Hatter · March 23, 2007

I love Boomer. I wish we had a couple more like it.....we'd REALLY be unique to have a Battery of Cannons going off after every score & Kick off.

I don't know that they'll do it in the PD era (Post Dickey), but I like the "What time is it? Game Time!" chant that the team used. My daughters love it too. They roam the halls of Mad Hatter's home yelling "How ya feel? Fired up! Who ya with? I'm with you!" and whenever I seiously ask my wife "What time is it" my oldest daughter will yell from across the house "Game Time!"

UNTflyer · March 23, 2007

I love Boomer. I wish we had a couple more like it.....we'd REALLY be unique to have a Battery of Cannons going off after every score & Kick off.
I don't know that they'll do it in the PD era (Post Dickey), but I like the "What time is it? Game Time!" chant that the team used. My daughters love it too. They roam the halls of Mad Hatter's home yelling "How ya feel? Fired up! Who ya with? I'm with you!" and whenever I seiously ask my wife "What time is it" my oldest daughter will yell from across the house "Game Time!"

I like it too, but playing it three times at the beginning of the game gets redundantly redundant.

Mad Hatter · March 23, 2007

I like it too, but playing it three times at the beginning of the game gets redundantly redundant.

Yes - Redundantly so!

eppy4life · March 23, 2007

I love throwing tortillas at the guards who are trying to keep the students from throwing tortillas.

I also enjoy throwing nate in the air for every point we score.

Green Mean · March 23, 2007

We need more tortillas!!!
The rest listed are great too!

Tho its a funny bit but didn't we steal that thing from Texas Tech when we last played them and beat them? If thats the case then I cant say its a traditional and old tradition....though I imagine I would have been laughing my arse off when they did that against Tech. Infact there was an article by one of the writers at the DRC and saying how we need to drop that tradition because it was strictly copied and what not.