Tailgating Fun

Now that you know some of the traditions, attire, songs and chants, another must you should try when coming to a Razorback game is TAILGATING!!!

The definition of tailgating is: a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during, sporting events and rock concerts.

Let’s just say Razorback tailgating is all that and MORE! The huge parking lots beside the football field, basketball arena, or baseball field are filled to capacity before each home game. The tail gates consist of LOTS of food and drinks, music, games, HUGE TVs set up to watch pregame stuff (some even just stay at their tent and watch the entire game), cheer leaders coming by do chants and cheers, and all around a bunch of happy fans having a good time.
So what do you need when it comes to setting up for a great tailgate party? Well according to Ezine Articles here are the top 5 things you will need:

1. Tailgate Griller - every tailgate party needs great food to go with the great beer. Your cuisine can range from the standard burgers and dogs to sausage, ribs or beef brisket. Regardless of what's on the menu, a good charcoal or gas grill is at the top of the list.
2. Second on the list is a place for partygoers to be able to privately take bio-breaks. Of course there will be porta-johns strategically located around the area, but they will be backed up with other party-goers. Your private area, can be more accessible and sanitary.
3. Third on the list will be in the entertainment category. Music is paramount in keeping the natives happy and you will want to make sure your boom box is pumping out great tunes at high decibels.
4. To play those great tunes requires power, and lots of it. You have a great source located under the hood, but because this music player needs AC, you will need a converter. Once it is connected and ready to go, you can run your boom box and TV if needed.
5. The fifth item that is a necessary component to every tailgate party kit will be the bean bag and other games to pass the time away. You can play several different versions of the classic game and will keep your guests occupied for hours.

Tailgating is what you can call a “Fan’s Heaven” It gets you ready for the excitement of the game and for some people it helps them get their buzz on so they can wear or do things like Bubba Hog!

So next time you are looking for a good time first things first, plan a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas. Second, practice ‘Calling those Hogs’ the ‘Fight Song’, and the ‘Alma Mater’. Third, go and buy yourself some Cardinal Red Razorback attire or even go a little farther and find a group and paint R A Z O R B A C K S on your chest! Fourth, get together the things you need for your tailgate party or go online and find one you can go be a part of and LASTLY… BE READY FOR A GOOD TIME!!

Always and Forever,
TRUE RAZORBACK FAN!

Songs and Chants

At the beginning of each football game the Alma Mater is sung. It was written in 1909 by Brodie Payne an alum of the University of Arkansas and in 1931 it was judged out of 500 college alma maters and picked as one of the top 25.

The alma mater is a student section favorite (even if the song is a little awkward to sing). All the students put their arms around the person beside them and sing while they sway back in forth. The alma mater is actually three verses long but the first verse is the only part that is sung at the games and it goes like this:

Pure as the dawn on the brow of thy beauty
Watches thy soul from the mountains of God
Over the Fates of thy children departed
Far from the land where their footsteps have trod.
Beacon of hope in the ways dreary lighted;
Pride of our hearts that are loyal and true;
From those who adore unto one who adores us—
Mother of Mothers, we sing unto you.

At the very end where it says “we sing unto you” everyone turns and points to Old Main.

When it comes to Razorback games you must know how to CALL THOSE HOGS, but the second step is learning the fight song. The fight song that is sung at Razorback games now is dated back to the late 1920’s and goes a little something like this:

Hit that line! Hit that line! Keep on going,
Take that ball right down the field!
Give a cheer. Rah! Rah! Never fear. Rah! Rah!
Arkansas will never yield!
On your toes, Razorbacks, to the finish,
Carry on with all your might!
For it's A-A-A-R-K-A-N-S-A-S for Arkansas!
Fight! Fight! Fi-i-i-ght!

You will not attend a Razorback football game where you don’t hear this alma mater and chant, so make sure you know it before you come cheer on the hogs.

Always and Forever,

TRUE RAZORBACK FAN

Hog Fan Attire

So now that you know a little about the Razorback and how to call the Hogs, the next step is knowing what to wear when you come to cheer on the Hogs. You must first and foremost wear something RED! Not just any red though, Cardinal Red, which was chosen by the student body in 1895. White was later added for a complementary color and more recently black has been added.

Now yes, just wearing red will help you fit in but you can always find the TRUE fans.

BODY PAINTERS

We have all seen at some game or another those EXTREME fans who cover their body in paint and spell out R A Z O R B A C K S or G O H O G S and if you haven’t, all you have to do is go to an Arkansas Razorback football game and in the front of the student section you will see them. No matter how cold or how hot, there are always those extreme, dedicated, Razorbacks fans!

And if you’re thinking that it’s just the guys who do this, you are mistaken!

One more person you can’t miss or forget if you go to a Razorback football game and sit in the student section is “Bubba Hog” or the “Red Neck Razorback Fan”. His Razorback attire is a little different from the rest of the fans. He comes suit in his blonde mullet with a trucker hat to top it, a cut off sleeved plaid button up (that is taken off and twirled in the air after every good play) cut off jean shorts (jorts) and some high top boots to finish off his outfit.

(I SPY BUBBA HOG)

Let’s just say he is a celebrity around Fayetteville. If you don’t believe me just Google “Bubba Hog”! He is a little of what the student section gets to look forward to each fall season… BUBBA HOG IN ACTION

No worries, you don’t have to cover your body in paint or dress up and dance like Bubba Hog to be a true fan. Just make sure to get your red and white on and cheer on those HOGS!!

Always and Forever,

TRUE RAZORBACK FAN

Razorback Traditions

Have you ever been to a Razorback football, basketball, or baseball game and wondered why we do some of the things we do when it come to cheering on those hogs? For example why a Razorback mascot? In the early 1900’s the wild razorback hogs roamed Arkansas and were known for their wild, ill-tempered, and faught and defeated whatever came in their way. What a perfect way to describe a team to me. Hugo Bezdek, the first Arkansas coach, is who is credited for changing the Arkansas mascot from the Cardinal to the RAZORBACK!!!
Now what about calling those Hogs! Its something some of us have grown up to but for some people hearing it the first time can be a bit surprising. The “Hog Call” is known to date back to the 1920’s when a group of football fans and it has stuck ever since.

It goes like this..

Woooooooooo, Pig! Sooiee!

Woooooooooo, Pig! Sooiee!

Woooooooooo, Pig! Sooiee! RAZORBACKS!

But just saying it isnt really calling the Hogs! To correctly call the Hogs you must be standing, you start with both hands in the air, wiggiling your fingers to the words Woooooooooo, then bringing your arms down on Pig, then arms back in the air for Sooie!

These are both a must to know before becoming a Razorback or even coming to a Razorback game. We Razorback fans take pride in our school spirit and the traditions we have set before us.

We will always “Bleed RED and WHITE”

Always and Forever,
TRUE RAZORBACK FAN

Sport Fans

Sports has always been a fascination to me, not only the excitement that I get from watching my teams play but also the enthusiasm that comes from standing in a crowd full of screaming fans. Sport fans have been around as long as there have been games to play. I’ve been one of those crazy yelling fans but I have never really understood why, as fans, we do the things we do. In my blog I want to talk about the different types of behaviors and traditions and why fans act the way they do, from clothes that match the player’s clothes, songs and chants that fans will sing, tailgating as a competitive event too, extreme behavior like body painting and tatooing, and so much more. Also I want to find out if there is a difference between college sports fans and professional sports fans and if the traditions are that different. My experiences sitting with fans at the Razorback football, basketball and baseball events have made me see how devoted we are in keeping certain traditions alive. Most times, you walk through a parking lot filled with fans wearing team colors, already celebrating a possible win, and cheering on the other fans, and thats before the games ever begin. It’s something almost every one can relate to but do you actually know where these traditions come from or why they have become as much a part of the game as the game itself?

Always and Forever,

TRUE RAZORBACK FAN