Utah football is not just about building traditions by winning bowl games and making progress on-field. It is also about building traditions off the field.
Starting this season, the U football team will participate in the Ute Walk. Two-and-a-half hours before the kickoff of every home game, the team will be walking from the Smith Center down Guardsman Way to Rice-Eccles Stadium. According to the pamphlet sent to season-ticket holders, fans are encouraged to “line the route and cheer the Utes to victory.”
To this point, aside from Bubbles’ crazy-lady dance next to the band at the beginning of the fourth quarter and the singing of the school song after each game, U football tradition has not carried much weight.
The U’s willingness to promote a new tradition embedded in the football program should put a smile on the face of tradition-starved Ute football fans.
“It’s great the U is finally making an effort to build traditions that fans can get involved in,” said Ute fan Angela Wilkinson. “I am excited about cheering the team on.”
Developing tradition is one of the most important elements of building a football program. Some of the nation’s premiere programs are not just respected because of their play on the field, but for their deep traditions that mean so much to their fan base away from the field.
Texas A&M has midnight yell practice where 40,000 fans show up on the eve of the Aggie home games to practice cheering.
Florida State has the flaming spear. Chief Osceola, the Seminoles Indian mascot, races to mid-field and throws a flaming spear into the middle of the field just before every home game. After giving the opposing sideline a scowl, the Seminole faithful erupt in a frenzy.
Notre Dame — perhaps the most tradition-rich college football program in the country — gives its football helmets a fresh coat of gold paint every Monday before the game, making the nickname Golden Domers even more appropriate.
Auburn has the original Tiger walk; fans line Donahue Drive before home games and cheer the team to victory.
Clemson has Howard’s Rock and the Hill. The Clemson football team touches the rock in a promise to give all their effort, and then run down the hill to a loud ovation from Tiger fans.
These are a few of the top traditions in college football. For Ute fans, it’s nice to see Utah’s football team following suit and giving Ute fans something that will enhance the Ute tradition and the Rice-Eccles Stadium experience.
Utah football fans are craving national respect. These types of traditions warrant that respect and bring programs such as ESPN’s “College Game Day” to campus.
In recent years the U has upgraded facilities, the team has found tremendous success on the field and the Utes are now building traditions. Fans are invited to line Guardsman Way and cheer on the Utes before every home game. Streets will be closed to local traffic during the Ute Walk.
Ute Walk start times: 9/8 vs. Air Force 1:30 p.m., 9/15 vs. UCLA 12:30 p.m., 9/29 vs. Utah St. 10:30 a.m., 10/13 vs. SDSU 10:30 a.m., 11/10 vs. Wyoming 11:00 a.m., 11/17 vs. New Mexico 1:00 p.m.
Lennie Mahler