the quote from VandyGold, and a plea to the BoB

[ToddMalone]

Around 18,000 at the game. Most of the MTSU fans in the box behind us were far more interested in the UT game on a TV.

- quote from VandyGold in another thread


Business took me to Knoxville last weekend.
Grew up a Vols fan, a rabid Vols fan.
Switched over to cheering primarily for MT when they went to 1-A and earned my degree from MT.
Became rabid MT fan.
Did what I could to help MT create SEC-type tradition and create fan excitement.
Life happened. Got knocked off track. Way off track.
Love of football and passion for MT fizzled over last several years.
Passion starting to come back.
Tune in from time to time for MT football.
Disappointed in the lack of progress.
15 years later. Same stuff.
15 years later. Same songs played by BoB.

Many MT fans still follow UT because not only do they have tradition, but they're still bringing new traditions to the table. Last year they (a fan actually) introduced the orange/white checkerboard using the fans wearing either orange or white shirts depending on where their seats are. The UT admin got behind the idea. Looks likes it's gonna be a new tradition there.

And the Pride of the Southland band comes up with stuff like the "Circle Of Life". The UT fans love it.

Dr. Reed Thomas, please take note...

 

[mtfblue]

Really, who cares about UT and there traditions. It's easy to be a fan of UT but take that crap somewhere else.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Can't disagree with most of what you say Todd. In my opinion, other things would fall into place with other people calling plays. However, there are more people who need to join the cheerleading team in lieu of their support for this staff. If this were run like a business rather than a subsidized government program (which it is), things would be different.

 

[Raiderclyde]

Not that I care for all UT Vols traditions, but think ideas from other places would help us to develop and strengthen our own sense of tradition. I believe in the concept of "success breeds success" and UT has had success when measured over the course of decades. Sure, they have been down the last few years, but their fan base is sizable and we have plenty of MT alumni that cheer for the Big Orange (even as their first love!) That is why I have harped on if we can't win the hearts of 37130, where else can we win? Winning cures some of this, but we have at times had poor traditions and marketing and we are reaping its long term effects (not withstanding bad losses and missed opportunities--including last Saturday). True, media and marketing is making strides, but its going to take several consistent years to gain traction. We definitely need to win conference championships and bowls for more in the community to take notice. Until then, half full stadiums is what we can expect, on a year end and year out basis. Ultimately, what type of program do we want to be: Boise State, Cincinnati, Memphis (now they're ranked #25 in one poll), Marshall (have been ranked several times)? Or more like the Louisiana Monroe? Or some of the FCS teams like when we left the OVC? Think we're just stuck in about 2005 attitude right now:as long as we win around half our games and get to a bowl, people are basically content with about 8-4 considered a great year (when it needs to be 10-2 as a measuring stick).

 

[MTFNBY5]

Point that BoB is stale is taken (and it's been explained several times that MT - the BoB - does not have the $$$s for arrangements that some other bands have - hard to get new - and I'm clearly not a band person). Some of the stuff gets old to those of us who have been around a few years.

As for the checkboarding of the stands - looks good - but takes a full crowd - money for shirts (or a fan base who will follow directions willingly) Ain't gonna happen at MT at this time.

As for traditions - hard to invent them - they need to arise spontaneously - unless you have a bunch of lemmings (which is what a lot of P-5 schools have for fans)

As for the Urenge - I won't go there

 

[FranklinRaider315]

This is a great thread and I'm glad some of the gooder fans are saying these things.

 

[Predarat]

Hope you start coming to games again, 2HH is not the same without you! Life does suck sometimes, and the lack of progress the program has made is discouraging at time. Yes they have made progress, but it is very slow. But right now I do feel they have reached somewhat of a peak a few seasons ago and are starting to decline some, their core fan base has lost some fans the past 2-3 seasons.

 

[RaiderDoug]

What's nuts about this is that all the Vol fans I know and on the Vol Message boards I frequent, there's nothing but disdain for the band and it's stale traditions. "Kill the woo", Immigrant Song played roughly 47 times a game, and so on and so forth. 99% of Vol fans seem to only like the band for 2 things - Running through the T and Rocky Top.

Hell, they brought in a DJ and Vol fans seem to love it.

Our band is far, far, far superior.

 

[TeKEraider]

This thread is a perfect example of our pride problem. Always looking over the fence at somebody else's grass. If we just do X then it would be better. We just need a different (underline your answer) band,name, mascot, coach, qb, and all our problems will be solved. We just need more alums with pride in their choice of MTSU or the type of people that take pride in what they are a part of no matter what and don't constantly look over the fence. I feel like the students get it. I don't think our alums do.

I will say at least most of our complainers have more character than to jump from team to team every couple of years. Those guys are the worst....

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

I will always have pride in my university. I will also have pride in continual disapproval in our staff until I see something to rally behind.

Go blue.

This thread is a perfect example of our pride problem. Always looking over the fence at somebody else's grass. If we just do X then it would be better. We just need a different (underline your answer) band,name, mascot, coach, qb, and all our problems will be solved. We just need more alums with pride in their choice of MTSU or the type of people that take pride in what they are a part of no matter what and don't constantly look over the fence. I feel like the students get it. I don't think our alums do.

I will say at least most of our complainers have more character than to jump from team to team every couple of years. Those guys are the worst....

 

[Raiderclyde]

TeKEraider, Good post! I just hope you're right.

Problem is it may take another 10-15 years to prove. It regards current students that turn into alumni engaged at a P5 fan level. Twenty plus years ago, was a newly minted alumnus and the then 1-A talk was the big promise that we would become much like a Vandy or a Miss. State a few years after moving up to the "big leagues". Two conferences later, and voila we have a half filled stadium, on average. We have a HC who basically has coached a .500 record over a ten year period. Not terrible, but not outstanding either. Difficult to support an extension until December 2023 (maybe I'm missing something here?) No top 25 rankings. No top 25 wins. No outright conference championships. Our last football co-championships is approaching 10 and 15 years, respectively.

Modern tradition is elusive: Boots and Coach Murphy represented our fine tradition of yesterday. Our last undefeated regular season was 30 years ago and one before that--half century. Shining moments over the last 17 years is fairly sparse, save for three Vandy wins, a Georgia Tech win, two Maryland wins, and the New Orleans Bowl with So. Miss (which now has become a conference opponent). We have plenty of Oh! so close, including Vandy and Illinois losses this year. Alabama in 2002. Virginia in 2007. Good North Texas teams of 2001 (cost us a outright SBC Championship) and 2005. In the OVC, Boot's last home game as coach with Eastern Illinois 32-35, where getting down on one knee would have ended their comeback (and would have earned us a OVC crown).

Elsewhere, Georgia Southern is beginning to finding its stride in the Sun Belt. Continuing in the tradition of Erk Russell and their National Championships (six). Their modern era started in 1981, I believe. Strangely, our first playoff date in 1984 ended up being our deepest national run--Louisiana Tech in semis, best we ever accomplished. Our perfect regular season 1985 team came to an abrupt end, losing to those same Eagles in first round. Quarterfinal 1-AA playoff losses 1989-1992. Followed by a blowout first round loss to Marshall in 1994. Last "championship game" appearance with Arkansas State resulted in a lopsided 0-45 loss in our final Sun Belt year that gained us 8-4 and no bowl and caused so much frustration that caused us to leave the Sun Belt a year early and negotiate a buyout. Last bowl game? Embarrassed ourselves with a fairly lopsided score and committed a personal foul on national television that made us look dirty. Looks like a lot of disappointment accented with a few pinnacle moments. Bottom line, we have to start winning and sustain energy. We have to appreciate our past, but learn and build on a long term basis. Consistently. Much, much easier said than done. But that's what many sidewalk and regular alumni see in our program.

A WKU win would be a good start to making a conference championship run. That's the first step. If not now, when? One step and one game at a time. As always, Go Blue Raiders--even though it can be tough sledding and frustrating at times!

 

[TeKEraider]

Well I think CRS's contract when signed was widely considered brilliant for being able to compete with universities with much deeper pockets. Hindsight may suggest it's not a great deal but nobody complained when it was signed. What's funny to me is the benchmarks for extensions were things that at the time we would all be excited about reaching. The fact that we are unhappy with those benchmarks now might just mean he has moved us further forward than he is getting credit for.

 

[Raiderclyde]

Well I think CRS's contract when signed was widely considered brilliant for being able to compete with universities with much deeper pockets. Hindsight may suggest it's not a great deal but nobody complained when it was signed. What's funny to me is the benchmarks for extensions were things that at the time we would all be excited about reaching. The fact that we are unhappy with those benchmarks now might just mean he has moved us further forward than he is getting credit for.

Jury is still out. Might very well be brilliant by 2018 or 2019. We shall see as the proof is in the proverbial pudding with the wins and losses. Good part was the deferral of $100,000 in raise that he was due in which that money, in theory, could be spent elsewhere in the program--which can be helpful. Real test is conference play and how well we do these next 2-3 years. There are promising elements, but taking the "Show Me" approach before I proclaim it a resounding success. My view is the coach got a super nice reward for getting bowl eligible last year and having great academics (the later makes the extension tolerable in my mind). Season starts for real on Saturday where everything counts!

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

...nobody complained when it was signed.

That is not true. There were a contigent of people scratching their head. Anyway, let's see what they do Saturday. I am not waiting 10 years to see where we are going.

 

[MTBig Blue]

I don't have a problem with the BOB, but I have a real problem with the 5 songs the pep band plays at the basketball games. I remember coming to games when I was 10 years old (now 31) and they still played the same crap back then as they do today. I know buying new song list can be expensive but c'mon.

 

[ToddMalone]

this thread was inspired by VandyGold's observation about MT fans in the fancy-pants bricko-block box being seemingly more interested in the game to the east.
My question is (and I'm not really looking for an answer) - how come MT can't do stuff like the Circle Of Life?




.

 

[TeKEraider]

Well being in one of those boxes I can tell Vandy fan was way off base and just trying to get under our skin. Don't let her.

 

[AustinLewis]

I'm with Todd here. The atmosphere at games is...stagnant. MT could really use a shot in the ark to create a better experience (see what MLS teams have done in similar size stadiums)