SportsCollege Sports

Actions

5 great college football traditions

Don't mess with these sacred traditions
Osceola and Renegade in Orlando in 2016, Florida State Seminoles tradition
Posted at 3:51 PM, Aug 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-04 15:58:44-04

Whether it's rubbing rocks or ringing cowbells, these are just some of the great traditions in college football.

Cowbells

Mississippi State Bulldogs fans ring cowbells in 2021
Mississippi State students ring their cowbells as they cheer on their team during the second half against Louisiana Tech, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Starkville, Miss.

The ringing of the cowbells has become such a nuisance for visitors to Davis Wade Stadium that the Southeastern Conference banned artificial noisemakers until 2010, but it didn't deter Mississippi State fans from helping the Bulldogs with their greatest home-field advantage. Head coach Mike Leach encouraged fans to drown out Texas Tech's bell during last year's Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs lost 34-7, but there was never any doubt for whom the bell tolls.

Howard's Rock

Clemson Tigers rub Howard's Rock before game in 2021
Clemson players touch Howard's Rock as they run onto the field for a game against Georgia Tech, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, in Clemson, S.C.

Arguably one of the most iconic scenes in all of college football, Clemson players rub Howard's Rock for good luck before they race down the hill and onto the field at Memorial Stadium before every home game.

Jump Around

Wisconsin Badgers dance to 'Jump Around' in 2017
Wisconsin fans sing and dance to "Jump Around" during the second half of a game against Maryland, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin players and fans have been bouncing up and down at Camp Randall Stadium since 1998, when the tradition of playing House of Pain's anthem "Jump Around" between the third and fourth quarter of every home game was born.

Osceola and Renegade

Osceola and Renegade on Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium before Florida State Seminoles football game
Osceola and Renegade wait on Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium before a Florida State football game in Tallahassee, Fla.

The tradition of Osceola planting a burning spear at midfield while riding his Appaloosa horse, Renegade, before every Florida State home game began in 1978. Conceived by Florida State alumnus Bill Durham, the pregame ritual of Osceola and Renegade is a reason for fans to get to their seats before kickoff. The tradition is so revered that the school fought the NCAA in 2005 after it added Florida State to a list of colleges whose sports teams used "hostile or abusive" Native American names and mascots.

Sooner Schooner

Sooner Schooner rides across field at Oklahoma Sooners game in 2021
Oklahoma's Sooner Schooner rides across the field after the Sooners score against West Virginia during the second half of a game, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in Norman, Okla.

Pulled by two white ponies named Boomer and Sooner, the Sooner Schooner became the official mascot at Oklahoma in 1980. The Sooners received a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after the wagon wheels of the Sooner Schooner became stuck on the field in front of the opposing team's bench during a re-kick attempt in the 1985 Orange Bowl.