College football, regardless of where it is played, has always had its fair share of tradition. This past weekend I was fortunate enough to travel down to Southern California to attend the ASU-USC football game. While I was there, I really noticed some discernible differences between USC’s football traditions and those of ASU’s. There are some who argue that ASU hasn’t been successful for long enough to have solid traditions, but I beg to differ. Here are 5 things that differentiate an ASU game and a game elsewhere.
1. Shaking keys prior to kickoff
One of my personal favorite traditions for ASU football. Nothing gets a team or a crowd hyped up for a game quite like it. The sound of Sun Devil Stadium being consumed by the deafening clinks of thousands of keys is unforgettable.
2. Camp Fargo
Camp Fargo is truly a testament to how loyal ASU football fans are. There really isn’t anything quite like the experience of camping outside of Wells Fargo Arena for days, sometimes even weeks, for tickets to the next game. A couple days before every home game, ASU Football will send out a tweet of a location on campus. Students will drop everything and anything they are doing just to make it to the location on time and secure a camping pass. To no one’s surprise, something crazy always manages to happen at Camp Fargo. In years past, groups of police officers have even been spotted playing beer pong with students.
3. Signaling after every first down
This is one of the longer-standing traditions in ASU football’s history. To celebrate every Sun Devil first down, the ASU fan base will put up their pitchforks and point them towards the field three times, mimicking the gesture that a referee makes to mark a first down. This causes the stadium to erupt and always helps give the team necessary energy to finish the drive strong.
4. Breaking the rock
To give each ASU football game even more meaning, the team starts every year off with a stack of rock slates, each complete with the logo of every regular season opponent. Breaking the rock symbolizes the grit and strength of Arizona State’s football program, as does the hammer used to smash it. The hammer weighs roughly 65 pounds, and was forged and donated by a Sun Devil alumnus. Typically, the player that has the best performance in a win is given the opportunity to break the rock. Breaking the rock means a lot to each and every player on the team, and adds that much more incentive to go out on the field and bring home a win.
5. The Inferno
The Inferno is one of the rowdiest student sections in the country. Now located behind each of the goal posts, the Inferno sections are known to either hurt or help kickers. When the Devils are kicking, the student section makes it a point to quiet down and allow our kicker to have the clearest head possible. Once our kicker converts (he usually does) the section goes nuts. When the opposing team kicks, students stop at nothing to distract them. We get loud, start chants, sway back and forth, whatever it takes to fluster the visiting kicker.
Hopefully I was able to show you just how rich the traditions are here in Tempe. We may not have a history of national championships like USC or Alabama, but Sun Devil Football means a great deal to ASU fans. I look forward to partaking in these traditions at many games to come. Lastly…… Go Devils!
