Wheeler: Show class when KU plays Sam Houston State
Saturday’s rival has been through serious hurricane trauma, so please lay off the chant (you know the one).
By Bryan Wheeler (Contact)
Friday, September 19th, 2008
With the football team’s heartbreaking loss to South Florida last Friday, some Jayhawk fans are itching to see Kansas demolish Sam Houston State tomorrow. You want to see junior quarterback Todd Reesing get out on the field and throw all over the Bearkats’ secondary. You want to see senior linebacker James Holt continue his reign as a fumble-forcing freak on the field. But mostly, you want to see Kansas win, and win big. You want to know that the Jayhawks’ magic from last season’s Orange Bowl run is still alive.
It is safe to say a blowout is likely. Kansas is out of Sam Houston State’s league, literally. The Division 1-FCS Bearkats’ last competition against a Big 12 opponent resulted in 39-3 loss to Oklahoma State in 2007. The year before that? A 56-3 whupping by Texas. With scores like that, you’re probably warming up your vocal chords right now for the infamous student section tradition. You know it by heart. You think any Kansas kickoff would be incomplete without it. Come on, say it. You know you want to. “Rip his (expletive) head off!”
But as much as you love the profane chant, it is time to retire it. Pack it away, put it in your scrapbook and move on. For what should have never became a tradition in the first place, this weekend, more than ever, is a time for students to show they have a little class. In case you’re wondering why it is appropriate to drop the chant, Sam Houston State fell victim to Hurricane Ike this past weekend.
Early Saturday, Ike neared Huntsville, Texas, home to Sam Houston State University. Though the hurricane had moved more than 100 miles from Galveston, where it was strongest, residents felt more than a splash. When Ike first hit, The Huntsville Item reported that more than 90 percent of residents were left without power. Trees were uprooted, leaving one woman dead from a tree crashing through her home. Roughly 1,500 people from areas affected were relocated to shelters in the town. On Wednesday, the city issued a press release that there was still a 9 p.m. curfew and that the Walker County Emergency Operations Center had “water, ice and MREs (meals, ready to eat)” available on a limited basis.
On campus, things were not quite as bad. Because of the problems off campus, classes have been cancelled through Monday, Sept. 22. In a statement issued on Tuesday, university President Jim Gaertner issued a statement saying, “A major component in our decision was that many of our students, faculty and staff commute from areas where gasoline is scarce, and a commute to campus would be a major problem, if not an impossibility.”
For the football players of Sam Houston State, things have been tough as well. Last Saturday’s game against Prairie View A&M was postponed, and the team hasn’t played since its season-opener against East Central Oklahoma University Tigers on Aug. 28. The Bearkats also did not get an opportunity to practice for tomorrow’s game until this Monday.
With everything the team has been through down in Huntsville over the past week, no fan should be screaming for anyone on Sam Houston State’s roster to have his head ripped off. Coach Mark Mangino acknowledged the Bearkats have had a “difficult” time because of the hurricane in his weekly press conference; the fans should recognize that too. So cheer loudly, stand up and be loud. It’s what fans are supposed to do — but forget “Rip his (expletive) head off!”
— Edited by Kelsey Hayes
Discussion
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When did this chant start, anyways? Just a few years ago, in my student days, this wasn't around (thank goodness). It's funny how people were so outraged in the way we were treated at the South Florida game yet we have disgraceful chants like this. Grow up.
Bryan, I am extremely impressed that you chose to write this article and grateful that you've taken the time to think about the opposing team. While I still hope our Bearkats can pull the upset (Eat 'em Up!), I'm glad to know whoever wins will be worthy of the victory. Thank you and good luck on Saturday!
Christi Laney
Editor-in-Chief
The Houstonian
Sam Houston State University
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