The Reflector: What would you tell the students who have been ringing cowbells for a short time?
Scott Stricklin: I think it’s important to understand that for 36 years, it’s been a tradition that the SEC had a rule in place to legislate it out of existence.
This year the SEC has recognized it as something important, and we have an opportunity to bring it in the stands and not have to hide it or be patted down. It’s going to be liberating for us in a lot of ways, but we’ve got to be responsible in how we handle the opportunity, because if we’re not, everybody understands the fine structure.
But to me, even more important than the fine structure is, they’re going to vote on this again next June, and that vote is going to be determined by how we do this fall. If we do a great job this fall, they’re gonna put this in place permanantly, and we’ll have the ability to bring our cowbells to Mississippi State football games for generations to come.
To me the real penalty would be, if we’re not successful, and they send us back to where we used to be, where we couldn’t bring a cowbell, and now there’s a fine to go along with it if they feel like we’re not enforcing it at the gate. That’s where we don’t want to end up.
The most important reason to go along with the policy this year is to make sure this is something we hand off to future generations. It’s really a duty and responsibility we have to Mississippi State, this school and the fans for years to come.
I’ve been real pleased with the response we’ve gotten from people as we’ve explained how we got here, why we got here, and what the policy is. I think every Bulldog fan wishes we had unadulterated cowbell ringing. I think people understand why we are in the situation we’re in. This is progress. We’ve moved ahead.
We’re still going to have a loud game day atmosphere, it’s gonna be exciting, it’s gonna be a lot of fun. When the other team has the ball and it’s 4th-and-1 and we’re yelling our lungs out and we’re stomping up and down in the bleachers, it’s gonna make a lot of noise in Davis Wade Stadium.
We gotta ask our fans to have the same amount of discipline that we expect from our 20-year-old defensive lineman not to jump offsides. We need our fans to have the same kind of discipline to cheer for the team the right way at the right times, whether it’s ringing or yelling.
I’m real encouraged by the response. I’m not concerned about the fine, because I think we’re gonna do it the right way and we’re gonna make this a tradition once we do it this year and have it going forward.
R: Many think if the compromise is unsuccessful then things will go back to how they used to be. What would happen?
SS: Let’s say we go back to the old rule and we start getting fined for bringing them in, people who are doing things to cause us to have to pay a fine are taking money out of our recruiting budget. They’re taking money out of our facilities budget. They’re taking money out of things that we use to create a great experience for Mississippi State’s fans, student athletes and coaches. They’re taking money away from things that help us attract the next great group of Bulldogs to come represent us.
We have one of the smallest budgets in the SEC. We’re not going to be defined by our budget, we’re gonna surprise some people at how successful we are despite our small budget, but sending money back over to Birmingham certainly limits the ability we have to be successful with what we have.
I’d much rather take $100,000 a year and put it toward new restrooms in the stadium, or put it toward creating a better fan experience, or new sound systems at different venues, or whatever it is. Put in coaches recruiting budget, their travel budgets, so they can get out and see more athletes and figure out which ones fit Mississippi State to help us be successful.
If people aren’t abiding by the policy, that’s what they’re doing. They’re hurting our school. Beyond that we would lose this tradition.
So to keep this tradition alive and to give us the best opportunity to use our resources wisely, those are two great reasons to abide by the policy.
R: How will it be measured?
SS: The league will be paying attention to it. They’ll know if we’re successful. There’s an SEC representative at every game in every SEC stadium. It’ll be monitored.
R: Is it one cowbell heard and there’s a penalty?
SS: Everyone needs to walk into the stadium with the impression that for it to be a success they need to do it the right way. I can’t answer that question, I don’t know what the threshold is. I’m going off the premise that we all need to do it the right way.
R: What happens in non-conference games, such as Memphis this weekend?
SS: The rule applies in all SEC stadiums. I don’t know if they’re going to fine us for just SEC games or not.
The other part of this, the cowbell is already a great tradition. When we ring them has to become another part of our tradition. When you have a tradition, you don’t just do it some games and then have a different tradition other times. You do it the same every game. we only have six or seven times to come together at our home games.
When this works, when we ring is going to become just as important of a tradition as the fact we have the cowbell to ring. Our team’s gonna do the dawg pound rock every game, folks are gonna fill The Junction every game and we’re gonna ring responsibly every game and respect the tradition of the cowbell. That’s kind of the mindset.
R: What does the cowbell mean to you personally?
SS: I like things that set us apart as an institution. It makes Mississippi State special. The cowbell is special and unique to Mississippi State. When you walk into Davis Wade Stadium, you hear that unique sound and, in my case, you know you’re home. The place is special. Usually it’s accompanied by “Hail State.” The song and that sound go great together.
Everything we do on gameday revolves around creating a great experience and the sound of the cowbells is an important part of that experience.