At football games in the dome in the 60s, 70s and 80s, there was an opening fanfare by the Band. After the movie “2001” came out, the fanfare was “Also Sprach Zarathusthra”. When the current Olympic Fanfare became popular the band would play it before entering the field. The fanfare was played in the tunnel in the Astrodome, which would amplify the sound and fill the dome with the sound.
3 Likes
Texas Southern played that in 1986 -
As for Neck - TSU was the first band to ever play Neck back in 1984 and that was their trademark. Southern University ended up playing it around 1997 and then mysteriously LSU starts playing it years later and destroyed the music part with that vulgar crap. Then the fans of LSU takes it back to their schools.
Womp Womp - won’t even say much but that was played across Scott way before it became the student favorite on Cullen but without the cussing.
3 Likes
Always been intrigued by this. When did the Cougar Paw really come into existence? Any photographed documentation of it seems later than the mythology
1 Like
If someone shows up wearing UT gear, it’s tradition to make their life miserable until they leave or crack under the pressure.
3 Likes
Pretty much 1953, but when it was openly used by UH students was much later, I believe 1968 was the actual time where it was officially adopted.
@74Coog You didn’t miss that cheer, it still happens! We’re trying to find ones that faded off. Never saw the full on ‘Eat Em Up Cougars!’ but the cheerleaders do say ‘COUGARS!!’ after the end of the ‘eat em up’ stand tune!
The Hail Yes Hail No is actually possible now, as SOH played a sample from the fight song/slim thug BCS UH song. The chant can be incorporated into that!
The earlier ‘when you say buuuuuuud’ is still played by a few Unis! Georgia Tech and Wisconsin AFAIK. If it were brought back. If that were brought back, HAAAAAAAIL HOUSTON!
The more recent version is the Clydesdales, and not ‘When you say Bud’
A fun one would be to do ‘In Heaven There Is No Beer (played to USAFA)’, or a ‘drinking format acapella song’ similar to ‘I wanna go back to Ohio State’
You can see an old video of the Cougar Marching Band through the Moffit years. You might hear some of the songs!
Also Sprach Zarathusthra is common around a few other schools.
Blaze was named after Blazek, someone who was basically trying to raise spirit in the late 80s. Around this time, the Bleacher Creatures also came into existence, a year before the Longhorn Hellraisers (two separate orgs that paint up at games and historically wanted to mess with TAMU).
Frontiersmen work the Blaze, and the Buggy Beauties still exist. They don’t ride around, but have their own cutout in the stands for now.
If UH does reunion weekend games, it would be very great to actually play some of these songs/perform some of these traditions. It would be a hook to the older alumni
1 Like
Yes! The cheerleaders and Cougar Dolls still go on the buggy rides and the Blaze/Frontiersmen are definitely still a thing. Due to COVID they haven’t done it this year, but they have been keeping it up these past few years.
3 Likes
That’s what I still yell; to heck with the later stuff!
6 Likes
We used to have cheerleaders on the field cheering…
1 Like
i thought they were referred to as the cougar keepers…they used to walk her around campus and take care of her facility etc
1 Like
You have the bleacher creatures origin story partially correct, started in 87 with a trip to ATM. After that the tradition to paint up set in and grew. The name came later as a result of a group of us being pictured in the chronicle with the face paint etc…the writer referred to the creatures in the bleachers and it stuck.
2 Likes
Didn’t see a mention of Hustlin’ being played in between the 3rd and 4th.
There’s also the "That’s another Cougarrrr first down! … cougar rawr sound plays "
It was eventually removed because we moved too quickly and it was distracting (or so I heard).
2 Likes
That’s the mythology, but I’ve never seen a picture of the paw pre SWC. I need to dig through the digital yearbooks to see what i can find
1 Like
The Cougar Helmet golf cart, if memory serves, was a gift from The Taxi Squad way back in the late 70s (?)…I know that Huey O’Toole ran it in the early years. For the last several decades, Sharon (and Murray) Stinson have ushered the Buggie Beauties and the Helmet at our home games. You will not find more dedicated Alums than Sharon and Murray (who has attended every single men’s basketball game home and away, for like a thousand years…).
Truly wonderful people, who decline the spotlight, but whom have contributed a fortune and time to UH Athletics.
2 Likes
Where do you find the digital yearbooks? I’ve tried skimming through the UH library archives but it seems like there is so much there I don’t even know where to start for finding athletic pics and spirit-oriented materials.
The count bell. After about 14 points, the bell ringer rings the bell way too fast. Like he’s about to climax. I miss when we started doing it during the run and shoot, it was a steady cadence that everyone used to do the arm swing count in unison. The bell ringer doesn’t realize he’s leading the stadium in count. And the higher the score, the more we rub it in as we keep counting until the kick off. Loved that tradition.
BTW, I remember when “blaze” was an air raid siren, I thought that was cooler sounding.
2 Likes
The Blaze is currently sitting in my office warehouse lol. The Frontiersmen were not allowed on the field this year, meaning neither was The Blaze.
4 Likes
And you wore red and white striped overalls, correct?
Me too, Pat…
1 Like
I was President of Alpha Phi Omega in 1969-70.
My Big Brother when I pledged was Captain of The Cougar Guard.
The name you see on our Cougar Baseball Field was also a Captain of The Cougar Guard. Daryl Schroeder.
Our Fraternity also ran the annual Homecoming Dance and built the annual bonfire on campus.
2 Likes