Students, faculty and fans of Mississippi State University attending football games now have to follows new rules regarding MSU’s longest tradition.
The MSU cowbell is a symbol of the university and has been a part of MSU for more than 30 years, MSU President Mark Keenum said.
“If we want to keep this tradition and preserve it, it is in the hands of those attending the games,” Keenum said. “The only way we can continue to have this tradition is if we all as Bulldogs want it.”
The “Respect the Bell” campaign is encouraging fans to only ring their cowbells at the appropriate times. Fans are allowed to ring cowbells during pregame, time-out, halftime and after the Bulldogs score.
Thomas Sellers, Student Association President, said this is an important time for the university because he wants to make sure we get to keep the tradition alive.
“We have to respect the bell, because if we don’t, we’re going to lose it,” he said. “If you look at it in a positive light, then don’t look at what is being taken away, look at the advantage we have of being able to keep our tradition.”
The 2010 football season will be a trial period to see if MSU can permanently keep the cowbell. If MSU fans do not follow the rules, the cowbell will be taken away, Stricklin said.
“We all have a responsibility to respect the compromise we have with the SEC,” he said. “We are working hard everyday to create a great experience for our fans.”
The video board will show fans when to ring their cowbells and when to not ring, Stricklin said.
“For this thing to work, the cowbell has to have a new tradition to come off of it,” he said. “We have to have a ‘when to ring’ tradition.”
The cowbell is a tradition, symbol of heritage and importance to many MSU fans, Keenum said.
“I still have the cowbell I was given as a child, and I grew up with the cowbell,” he said. “It is just as important to me as it is to the rest of our fans, so we have to do the ring thing and ring responsibly.”
SAVE THE BELL
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHEN FANS ARE ALLOWED TO RING THE COWBELL, SEE THE Q&A WITH SCOTT STRICKLIN ON SPORTS, 16