With football season officially a bust, Mississippi State students are looking foward to something they haven’t seen in a while: victorious Bulldogs. One way to get that winning season is to make the game a living nightmare for opposing teams. That is the first goal for Rick’s Rowdies.
“We (Rowdies) get to The Hump two hours before the game starts and when (the opposing team) is out there warming up we’re messing with them like crazy and making fun of them,” said Rick’s Rowdies co-president Mandi Alexander. “We try to be as loud as possible and kind of get in their heads so hopefully they won’t do well that game.”
Rick’s Rowdies, now in its third year of existence, is the group of students in the first several rows of the student section clad in Maroon and White and an abnormal amount of face and body paint.
In the three years since the start of the Rowdies tradition, membership has increased six-fold. The first group started in 2001 with about 50 members. So far the 2003-2004 group currently has over 300 members. By the time the season ends, Rick’s Rowdies hopes to have a membership of over 500.
Both Alexander and co-president Caleb Butts credit the increased membership to publicity and support from the university.
“This year we’re putting up posters, asking people to bring two friends with them, and sending e-mails out to get people to come,” said Alexander.
“We get a lot of support from the basketball team and coaches as well as a lot of campus groups,” added Butts.
With the increased membership, Rick’s Rowdies hope to make the Hump an even more intimidating atmosphere.
“This year we want to get louder and crazier than before,” said Alexander. “Coach Stansbury has said several times how much louder and harder it is to play here with the Rowdies.”
According to Butts, his favorite memory of his Rowdy career was last year when the Rowdies traveled to Oxford to watch the Bulldogs battle the Mississippi Rebels.
After Derek Zimmerman made the lay-up to put the Bulldogs ahead the Rowdies went wild and the Mississippi student section let their frustrations out on the Rowdies.
“I’ve never enjoyed being flipped off so much,” said Butts.
After the response the Rowdies received in Oxford, they hope to be able to take the act on the road more this season to show support for the Bulldogs, not only at home, but on the road as well. Alexander said Rick’s Rowdies members will make as many road trips as possible this season.
“If they (road games) are on the weekend, we’re going,” said Alexander. “We’re going to Ole Miss and then we end at Alabama. We’re going to go to Auburn and Western Kentucky and any SEC game that is on the weekend.”
To help accommodate the added cost of road trips Rick’s Rowdies is charging $10 for dues. This money helps offset the cost of the shirts that are given out and funds the road trips that are being planned.
A major benefit to being a Rowdy this year will be a membership card that will act as a student ticket for home basketball games when accompanied by a valid MSU ID.
“Last year the student tickets for SEC games were gone by noon,” said Alexander. “With the membership card we’ll be able to get more people in the Hump to make it louder and more intimidating place to play.”
Membership runs throughout the season. Anyone interested can come to the interest meetings on Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum or talk to a current Rick’s Rowdies member for information.
The first showing this year’s group will be Saturday when the Bulldogs host the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the CBA in a free exhibition contest at 4 p.m.