It's Selection Sunday - Time to Draft College Traditions!

One of sport’s greatest events is finally here! Welcome to Selection Sunday and the start of three glorious weeks of college basketball. Those of you who know me, know that this is my favorite time of year. After a month of a half of nothing since the football season ended, the NCAA tournament signals a true start to spring with the beginning of the baseball season, The Masters, the Kentucky Derby, and the NBA and NHL playoffs.

Gamblers, rejoice!

With the start of the tournament, it is time to summarize another draft from fellow blogger Pepster and myself. As you know, we periodically get together to do big, irrelevant, time-consuming things that only make sense to a few people. A few months ago, a trip to Key West provided the backdrop of one of these important moments. It was time to determine by draft the best college sports traditions.

In 2013, we first came up with the idea of determining the best of the ESPN 30 for 30 series. After some debate, we decided that we would rank the first 48 episodes of the series (including the 14 ESPN Films Presents) from best to "I didn't even care that happened" through a draft of the episodes. In 2023, we decided to bring the draft back to determine the best episode of Chappelle’s show. Both drafts were ridiculous, angered loved ones, and are documented here.

On to the draft of the Best College Sports Traditions!

The rules for the draft were simple. We would flip a coin to determine the first pick with a snake draft following for what we consider to be the top 40 traditions. The “traditions” are broadly defined, but it should make sense as to why they are included in the draft rankings. We were looking for practices that are: 1) familiar to most people; 2) fun to watch and/or participate in; 3) responsible for changes to the way we view the game; and 4) have longevity. Quite honestly, if you are unfamiliar with some of these, you should go look them up.

Sinickal won the coin toss this year and picked first and for this draft, I am going to present the result from 40th to 1st:

40. Iowa - Pink Visitor’s Locker Room (football)

39. Oregon - “Shout” (football)

38. Michigan - “Ugly Goalie” Chant (hockey)

37. Oklahoma - Sooner Schooner (football)

36. Florida State - Sod Cemetery (football)

35. Clemson – Howard’s Rock (football)

34. Taylor University (Upland IN) – Silent Night Game (basketball)

33. Colorado – Ralphie’s Run (football)

32. Arkansas – The Calling of the Hogs

31. Rocco’s Cantina – Jello Shot Challenge for the College Baseball World Series

30. Virginia Tech – “Enter Sandman” (football)

29. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden (basketball)

28. Washington State – ESPN Gameday Flag (football)

27. Iowa – The Wave (football)

26. St. Joseph’s – The Hawk (basketball)

25. Auburn – Toilet Papering Toomer’s Corner (football)

24. Police Escorts for SEC Football Coaches

23. Ole Miss – The Grove/Walk of Champions (football)

22. Wisconsin – “Jump Around” (football)

21. The ACC Basketball Tournament (basketball)

20. The Southern Classic (football)

19. Harvard – The Last Lap

18. Florida – “I Won’t Back Down” (football)

17. ESPN Gameday (football)

16. The Beanpot (hockey)

15. Texas A&M – “Ball 5” Chant (baseball)

14. Southern Cal – USC Sweater Girls (football)

13. Southern Cal – USC Sword Plunge (football)

12. Philadelphia’s Big 5 Tournament Series (basketball)

11. Miami – Four Fingers Signally the 4^th Quarter (football)

Before we get to the Top 10, I just wanted to make a couple of comments about the previous 30 selections. First, the list is football heavy. It is no surprise that football is both uniquely set up for tradition and is America’s second favorite sport.  Also, there are some odd selections in the list. If you know Pepster or myself, our preferences for homerism and an unconventional definition of tradition really shine through.

10. Miami – Smoke Machine (football). I am not going to call this a Pepster homer pick since the use of the smoke became synonymous with Miami football’s dominance through the 1990’s and 2000’s. I will call this a homer pick because it is simply too high.

9. Maryland – Midnight Madness (basketball). Yes, this tradition started with Lefty Driesell in the early 1970’s as a recruiting tool. The tradition has spread throughout the years and has come to signal the start of the college basketball campaign.

8. Kansas – Rock Chalk Jayhawk (basketball). Dating back more than 100 years, the chant initially went “Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, KU.” A Kansas professor suggested changing it to “Rock Chalk” which is symbolic of the limestone bedrock around the campus.

7. The Army-Navy Prisoner Exchange (football).  A tradition dating back to WWII, the exchange occurs prior to the annual football game where cadets and midshipmen are returned to their home schools after spending a semester at the rival academy.

6. One Shining Moment (basketball). The culmination of the NCAA tournament every year. Written by Dave Barret and first played after the 1987 championship game (Indiana-Syracuse), the song supporting the tournament highlights has been recorded  Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, Jenifer Hudson and Ne-Yo. We wait in the stadium every year to see the song on the jumbotrons!

5. The Rose Bowl Parade and Game (football). The Granddaddy of ‘Em All! This full on Hollywood production gets a game slot with no competition on New Year’s Day and produced such that the game plays through the beauty of dusk and sunset in Southern California. Truly special.

4. Hawaii – The Haka (football). As a ritual before both home and away games, the team performs the Haka, a terrifying traditional dance of the Māori people of New Zealand. The dance is a tribute to the state’s Polynesian roots. The chant used by the team is native Hawaiian and dates back centuries.

3. Texas A&M – The 12^th Man (football). Not many can claim traditions that have stood for over 100 years, but Texas A&M’s 12th man is one of them. This tradition dates back to the 1920s when the team played a game with no one on bench. A basketball player was summoned from the stands to serve as a player substitute. Today that spirit of “readiness, desire, and enthusiasm” endures. There is even a statue of the student volunteer at Kyle Field.

2. Ohio State – Script Ohio (football). Both Pepster and Sinickal hate having to make this pick, but it
is iconic, steeped in tradition since 1936 and familiar to so many people. Maybe we will ding it this way, there is evidence that this was stolen from the school up north. Probably why the hatred is so intense.

1.   Cutting Down the Nets (basketball). I would argue that here is no college sports tradition that has defined celebration more than cutting down the nets at the end of a championship game. It is simply the best! And it’s roots are just as interesting as anything we have seen. According to the Mercury News, the tradition begins in Indiana, where legendary high school coach Everett Case began snipping the twine in the 1920s. Case brought his tradition to N.C. State where, as the head coach in 1947, he elected to cut down the nets after winning a Southern Conference title. Former N.C. State coach Jim Valvano elevated the tradition and even dedicated one practice each season to literally practice cutting down the nets! Absolutely amazing.

So, there you have it. Another draft in the books and the way I am preparing for the official start of spring. Good luck in the pools everyone, gamble smart and often, and we will see you on the other side.