Regarding the "unified branding" theme, what about the Cannon Crew?
- Thread starter Skull83
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I vote for we go back to our roots and become the Chanticleer's once again. Soooo many possibilities with a Fighting cock mascot.:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Just ask the Virginia Tech Hokies. When Rutgers first played them in the 1950s it was the Chanticleer vs. the Fighting Gobblers!
I'm probably the only one on the board who doesn't love the cannon thing as it has been embodied. If it were handled by our ROTC guys/women in colonial uniform fine, but I don't think there is another school that has folks on the field doing something like that, that have no affiliation with the school and for that reason I've never been a fan of it.
It's better than the Texas Tech guy who rubs one out every time there's a score.
I can't speak for everybody on the crew but one of them is a big time active alum and fan.
When we asked POTUS to show for Commencement 250 everybody said "not likely, but you have to ask."
Why not for this? Worse is they say no.
Hey, maybe, they can have Lin-Manuel & Crew come for commencement & shoot the cannon? He & Obama are buds, and we can film it for games? The feasibility for games is unlikely since they do have to perform most weekends (twice on Saturdays?), but maybe just for commencement?
Agreed. That's why, unlike so many know-it-alls around here, I don't speak in absolutes unless I'm absolutely sure. Where there's a will, there's a way I guess. I'm just thinking about the demanding performance schedule of such a popular show and how tough it would be to get the cast to come here. But, like you said, it can't hurt to explore the possibilities.
My teenage daughter is absolutely CRAZY about Hamilton (the show... and now the historical figure). I was telling her about Hamilton's connection to RU/this area just this past weekend as we walked back to our parking spot by Kirkpatrick Chapel on the way from Old Man Rafferty's.
It's better than the Texas Tech guy who rubs one out every time there's a score.
I sometimes use "lol" even when I didn't actually laugh out loud. This time? I literally laughed out loud. Well played, RUJohnny!
Losing team gets to clean the inside of that bell??
We used to have a chicken type mascot in the 50' s and the cannon was a small on the field cannon in a box type container pulled with a rope by cheerleaders. Fired after a score at the back of the end zone we had just scored.
The winner of the "Middle Three " (RU, Lehigh and Lafayette) got the cannon until the next season. Just like Army, Navy and AFA now, only not as famous.
This was Lenny Moore's sophomore season at PSU and they beat us 54-26 at home. Known as "spats" for the way he taped his ankles. He ran so smooth, it was like watching a deer and his stride was amazing. We couldn't catch him. He played both ways. PSU also had an All American guard named Pat Stellatella. The HC was Rip Engle, Joe P was an assistant learning the ropes.Check out this Rutgers Penn State cover:
So RU52... were you at.............
The September 14, 1954 Targum reported, “The incident that many Scarlet fans will never forget occurred at the 1952 Princeton game in Palmer Stadium. It seems that the Chanticleer’s fraternity brothers fed him hard liquor instead of orange juice for breakfast, and the University’s fine feathered symbol arrived at the game a little tipsy. This hair-raising incident brought a reprimand from the Dean of Men’s office plus a cancellation of the rooster’s appearance at the opening of a Queen’s Theatre musical.” Another version of the story from a Rutgers fan who witnessed it had the imbibing rooster running onto the field just before the kick-off, twirling around a goal post with one hand before collapsing in the end zone. He was carted off the field.
You are kidding, right? Do you really not know that he was ALSO a Revolutionary War hero.. an artillery commander and friend of George Washington? ANd went on to organize the defense of New York in the War of 1812, building forts.. how can you not bother to look this stuff up?
But really.. it was because the guy was an old wealthy bachelor with no children and someone must have hoped we'd get his estate upon death.
What I sometimes wonder is what would have happened had Queens College not been idle in the early 1820s when Cornelius Vanderbilt called New Brunswick home. There was a missed opportunity.
196 Years later and we're still having a tough time landing those affluent donors. You would think after our 1869 Co-National Championship squad donors would have flocked to us. Alas it was not meant to be.
Quote from Wikipedia
He graduated from King's College (now Columbia University)[1] in 1766 and promptly became an advocate for independence of the American colonies from Great Britain. He went on to serve as a captain of American forces at the Battle of White Plains, and later as a colonel for the New York militia. His home served as a barracks during the British occupation of New York in 1776. Colonel Rutgers would continue to play a role in the defense of the young nation after the Revolution, presiding over a meeting held June 24, 1812 to organize American forces in New York in anticipation of a British attack in the ensuing War of 1812.
The genesis of the RU screw. We thought the old guy would surely leave his estate to us, and he goes and gives most of it to a home for wayward girls!
I would like to say I remember it, but I don't. I just turned 6 years old that season and recall some stuff.
I grew up in NB and only missed 1 game (home and away) from 1952 to 1963. My first junior season ticket cost something like $ 8.00, only played 8 games in those days. Use to walk to the stadium from across the river via Landing Lane Bridge to beat the post game traffic. Have had season ticks for 64 years that my family actually used, now it's just me and my wife and we're retired. Now it's too hard to tailgate with the few friends we have because the Scarlet Lot is no longer an option. As they say " time marches on". Time for the next generation to continue the tradition and it's really looking great !!!
Hey, that's great. Since you go back that far, I have a few questions about football traditions as they pertain to Rutgers:
1) Did they tailgate at Rutgers? Did they tailgate for the RU-PU game?
2) Were women (i.e. Douglas College) on any cheerleading squads?
3) Did they sell Rutgers football memorabilia or just plain Rutgers stuff?
4) Did they do halftime shows with the band?
5) Did they do football bonfires or pre-day football rallies? If so, where and how many would show up?
6) Did Rutgers students go paint the Rutgers-Princeton Cannon?
7) Any other traditions you can think of?
1) Yes to both. Rutgers-PU was always at PU until 1969. People mostly tailgated with wicker baskets and booze cases. It was usually the first game at the end of Sept and fans were really ready. If you were a student bringing a date you dressed like going to church. Guys- blazers. Ladies - suits or squirts
2) No women cheerleaders, just dates for the guys.
3) The old stadium wasn't set up like HPSS. There were souvenirs, like programs, pennant type banners, buttons of many different colleges, plastic horns and foam fingers. RU items, but not like today. For most apparel and such, you had to go to the University bookstore.
4) There was always a halftime show, but sometime the opposing team would perform too. Always the Alma Mater after, win or lose and we lost a lot.
5)Rallies for PU and homecoming. Usually a bonfire, pep rally by the Theological Semenary off College Ave. Homecoming parade with fraternity floats, band etc, up College Ave, Mine St and Union St or fraternity row. Then floats were brought to the stadium for the Homecoming game and driven around the track at halftime for everyone to see. There was always a nice crowd, but more like a gathering. Lots of parties happening.
6)More trying to kidnap the mascot or paint the tiger red then anything. Just little prank type stuff, but not necessarily every year. Our cannon was a little thing like a toy cannon, pulled by a rope by the cheerleaders.in a fold up wooden box. Winner of the round robin between RU, Lehigh and Lafayette each season got to keep it for a year.
7)No traditions per say for the public, but probably little things within the University itself, especially for Princeton.
Here are some things that took place in the 50's for games. No parking passes, paid coming up Stephens Road to the now Scarlet Lot. NB traffic came across Landing Lane Bridge and back the same way. The only building on the Busch Campus was the Physics Bldg by the golf course. There use to be a good size wooden sign where the crest of the yellow lot is now that read " The Future Home Of The College Football Hall of Fame - never materialized here. The Bubble use to be the freshman practice field with telephone pole lights. Part of the Glen area was the 150 lb game day field. Baseball Diamond was where the football practice field/white lot is situated. LAX and Soccer were up on the far side of the blue lot. The old scoreboard sat on a hill behind the south end zone and was manual placards for numbers. Later changed to electronic numbers. The hill leading up to the Scarlet Lot from River Road nearest the stadium was always there. When the game was over and most people went back to tailgating, the stands had quite a few liquor bottles left behind. Oh, one more thing, they sold hot dogs and they were good. Some great memories at home, but also a lot for the away trips. I loved football season and as a little kid thought RU could never lose, but we did !
That's a great retrospect RUsince 52. Thanks for the description. If you have more please feel free to post. I thought tailgating (outside of Princeton game) started in the early 1960s..... but you're saying you did it in the early 1950s?
Were the football jerseys as "bright" as what they use now or just off-the-shelf red? Did they use a scarlet and white combo or scarlet and black?
Were the football jerseys as "bright" as what they use now or just off-the-shelf red? Did they use a scarlet and white combo or scarlet and black?
We use to park off Fisher Place from Rt 1 in a field that PU designated for game day mostly visitor parking. Walked to Palmer Stadium across Carnegie Lake to the game. ( sometimes saw a crew match too). Like I said, tailgating was a lot different then, but that was tailgating.
The uniforms were a more muted red, but changed periodically. Sometimes a little brighter. Away were normal white with different piping. Pants were usually gray or silver and looked nice. I even seem to remember a year where we had red jerseys and white pants. Really sharp and we probably played better. Don't recall any black combos except for the mesh pullover tops for practice. There were many games we should have worn black after. I'll try to think of some other amusing things, especially on the road.
The cannon should go as it hearkens back to the time when NJ and RU founders had major roles in the slave trade.
