| 11 September 2009
The last several weeks we’ve been discussing what improvements could be made to Mizzou’s pre-game atmosphere to get the fans and players more amped and to provide a more unique overall pre-game experience. Specifically, what could be done to improve the Tigers’ run-out.
For some reason I’ve always loved watching how different teams run out of the tunnel right before kickoff. I think it started when I saw Ray Lewis’s Super Bowl dance in 2001. And with a new video board and sound system at Faurot Field, this seems like the perfect time to come up with the ideal run-out/pre-game atmosphere.
Ultimately, the biggest thing that’s going to make the pre-game atmosphere electric is this fans. There obviously has to be lots of ‘em and they have to be jacked. For years this was impossible because Mizzou football sucked and therefore there weren’t going to be many people there and the people that were there were likely on their way home before the start of the third quarter.
But now that’s changed. The athletic department wants 70,000 fans for Saturday’s game at Bowling Green. I doubt they get that many but they’ll likely be in the upper-60s. It was only a couple years ago that 70,000 fans was a stretch for most Big 12 teams outside of kU/Nebraska/Texas/OU let alone a mid-major non-con like Bowling Green.
The last couple weeks we’ve argued about what would be the best song to have played right before the Tigers run out. It’s really difficult to find a song that gets everyone pumped and hasn’t been used by at least another dozen schools and hundreds of high schools. If you have unique music for your run-out you can bet it won’t be unique longer than two seasons.
I’ve decided I kind of prefer music without lyrics, at least for the pre-game videos. Something along the lines of the Contender theme song or the “Lux Aeterna” used in last year’s basketball video. But really, you just need something to get people’s adrenaline flowing. If it’s cliché then so be it.
But you need the video to be unique. I think the video’s huge for setting the stage. It’s also another thing I think the university has improved pretty dramatically the last couple years. The athletic department hit a gold mine last year with their video for the men’s basketball team (double-take on that byline) but we’ve yet to see the same finished product on the football side.
That’s not a knock on last year’s football video, which I thought was very good in its own right. Really liked the Contender soundtrack and the clip of where Todd Reesing evolved into Sod Reesing. My only complaint was that the video didn’t conclude with the Reesing sack. How do you not end on that note? What highlight is going to top it?
(Note: I looked all over youtube for last year’s intro and couldn’t find it. If anyone can find the clip please link to it in the comments section.)
But the best pre-game college football video I’ve ever seen is the one Oklahoma uses. (I know you’re surprised I didn’t say “Cowboys Forever.”) Every year the Sooners do something to incorporate their prestigious tradition into their videos. Take a look at this one:
I hate everything about that program and I still get chills every time I watch that. In the past doing something similar to this would have been impossible for MU. After decades of ineptitude there was no tradition to speak of. But after the Larry Smith-Corby Jones mini-revival of the late ’90s, the Pinkel-Smith re-birth and the celebrated class of ’08 the university suddenly has a plethora of former stars they could use to make one kickass video.
Here’s some random clips to include in the video that I’m just going to rapidly throw out there: James Wilder lowering the shoulder vs Nebraksa in ’78, Kellen Winslow making a catch in the Liberty Bowl, Roger Wherli making a pick, Corby Jones getting flipped at the goal line against the Huskers, Brad Smith *any number of breathtaking plays made*, J-Mac returning a punt return against Illinois, Chase Coffman hurdling someone, Chase Daniel threading a needle in Armageddon, etc.
This is just an idea off the top of my head but show a Mizzou legend with the typical tough guy expression saying something along the lines of “Mizzou is cliché adjective” and then shoot to an iconic play from their career. Then alternate doing this between Mizzou legends and current Tigers. You’re telling me you wouldn’t run through a brick wall after hearing Corby Jones say “Mizzou is fearlessness,” followed by a clip of him doing a 360 into the end zone? Or what about a clip of Chase walking off the field at Armageddon followed by a highlight of Gabbert with him saying “Mizzou is continuing tradition.” I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about it.
A cookie cutter highlight package with AC/DC or Guns and Roses blaring is OK. We’ve lived with that in the past and if the team is winning it will always get us jacked up. But including personalities that have been icons for your program could take the pre-game atmosphere to the next level.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
