2,000 rally for football team
Football players thanked the crowd for its support.
Published Oct. 5, 2007
Faithful Tiger fans showed up in big numbers Thursday night for another addition to the many traditions at MU.
An estimated crowd of 2,000 people came to the Mizzou Spirit Rally at the south steps of Jesse Hall. The Alumni Association Student Board and Tiger Athletics played host to the spirit rally.
ESPN cameras showed up as fans supported the football team before its Saturday night showdown with Nebraska.
Among the thousands in the crowd was 1993 MU graduate Chris Sanders, who won the Most Spirited contest by dressing up in an MU football uniform. His daughter, who was dressed as a cheerleader, accompanied him.
"When I was going here, we lost a lot," Sanders said. "It's great to see the team win like this."
The prominence of the Tigers on the football field during the past few seasons led to the push for the spirit rally.
"Every big university, especially the top 25 football schools, have a big spirit rally," said AASB Vice President of Traditions Tom Brandt.
It was Brandt's idea to have the rally, and he helped turn the plan for the rally into an event.
"We've always talked about it and just waited for someone to step up," Brandt said. "We decided it was our responsibility to start it."
AASB President Anne Case-Halferty said Jesse Hall was the ideal location for the rally.
"We wanted to have the event on campus," Case-Halferty said. "Jesse has a natural stage area, and it is a landmark on campus."
Once AASB was approved for the rally, it was promoted through several venues, including a Facebook.com event, fliers, talking to the different campus organizations and an e-mail from coach Gary Pinkel.
With those techniques, the rally drew a big crowd of cheering fans wearing black and gold to show their support for the Tigers.
Members of the football team got a chance to speak to the fans during the rally, and they thanked them for showing up.
After the rally was over, Pinkel said he appreciated the students putting on the rally for the football team.
"The students came to us and said they wanted to do a rally for us," Pinkel said. "That's worth a thousand words."
Senior tight end Martin Rucker was also appreciative of the spirit rally.
"It was amazing," Rucker said. "I've been here going on five years, and I've never seen anything like this."
Case-Halferty said the goal for attendance at the rally was about 1,000 people, and she was amazed it went beyond her expectations.
"It was unbelievable," she said. "I still have goose bumps. The coolest thing is people brought their kids and family."
But not everyone thought the rally went as well as Case-Halferty did.
Antlers member Joel Jones said he was a bit disappointed after the rally had ended. The Antlers is a student group known for provocative cheering at basketball games.
"We didn't play the alma mater," Jones said. "The turnout was good, but the fans could have done better."
Brandt said there is hope for more rallies to come.
"This is a tradition we want to keep doing in the future," Brandt said. "The goal is to do it before the season starts."
Rucker said the team is looking for the fans to continue supporting the team by cheering loudly Saturday at the stadium.
"I'm looking for it to be the craziest place it can be," Rucker said. "I'm looking for the place to get rocking."