[Purple Haize]

Let it be known that Haize just endorsed one of my ideas.

I must have had too much sun....

[thepostman]

I think the Jokers are by far the best student group LU has and have shown that over and over again with some of the creativeness they've done. It is easy to remember the original LUnatics because @Jonathan Carone and other members posted on here all the time and we heard, and enjoyed, a lot of their antics.

I have always had one beef and it is pretty petty but the athletic department's slogan is "Be Early, Be Loud and Wear RED" and due to their desire to stand out they've decided not to do that. I do think Jon was right that the original idea of the name was a nod to Jr because of how he connected with the students back then but someone came up with the idea of a white shirt, red tie as a nod to Sr and rhey rolled with it.

It just always bothered me that we finally got the student body on board to wear red to games and then this student group came along and disrupted all of that. It is petty I know and over the years I've grown to appreciate their passion but some of rhat is more about being seen than supporting athlefics.

[flameshaw]

Not a fan of any of the "groups". As someone else said, corny and nerdy come to mind along with wannabees. I can tell you as player in high school, college, other places, I was so concentrated on the game, I never heard the crowd, with the exception of one time. I can see where they might impact some players sitting on the bench all the time, with nothing else to do. My experience, may not be exclusive.
Being "inclusive" in itself, is a joke. The only people, in our society, that I see yelling inclusive, are the most exclusive and hateful people around, especially if you don't agree with them. Kinda like the dim-o-craps yelling bi-partisan. That means that they want the other side to cave to them, never the other way around.
Maybe "The Inclusive Jokers"?

[Jonathan Carone]

The biggest thing The Jokers had over us was they started as a dorm. We were a group of commuter students that then recruited on campus kids, but once I left, the whole thing fell apart. We tried to set it up to keep going but it didn't work. With them being a dorm, they're able to consistently keep this thing going year after year after year.

I've always wanted them to be more inclusive and more focused on the school, not any particular leader. I also think the Why So Serious thing is a bit played out but they enjoy it and are actually showing up so who am I to poop on it?

SGA tried to restart The LUnatics last year in order to bring all the groups together. It's going to be a hard job, but I hope there's someone on campus who can do it.

[flameshaw]

The biggest thing The Jokers had over us was they started as a dorm. We were a group of commuter students that then recruited on campus kids, but once I left, the whole thing fell apart. We tried to set it up to keep going but it didn't work. With them being a dorm, they're able to consistently keep this thing going year after year after year.

I've always wanted them to be more inclusive and more focused on the school, not any particular leader. I also think the Why So Serious thing is a bit played out but they enjoy it and are actually showing up so who am I to poop on it?

SGA tried to restart The LUnatics last year in order to bring all the groups together. It's going to be a hard job, but I hope there's someone on campus who can do it.

Personally, I don't see 50-100 kids are going to make a big impact. (Maybe there is more than that involved, but that is what I kinda recognize at the games.) Now a couple of thousand + would be a significant group, especially if they can become organized.
I think that would be worthwhile.

[Jonathan Carone]

50-100 kids can absolutely make a big impact. That's what we had at our peak. When you have that many people unified doing the same thing, it's easier for everyone else to follow along. The key is if those 50-100 kids are trying to lead the group or if they're trying to do their own thing.

[Class of 20Something]

If the student groups went full soccer chants, they could make some insane noise.

[Purple Haize]

50-100 kids can absolutely make a big impact. That's what we had at our peak. When you have that many people unified doing the same thing, it's easier for everyone else to follow along. The key is if those 50-100 kids are trying to lead the group or if they're trying to do their own thing.

50-100 kids absolutely could make a difference. You can’t just start at Thousands

I’m spending too much time in the sun....

[FlamesRise]

Inside scoop from sources to help you guys out.

Name change was decided by both some of the founders of the group and the current leaders. Whether it was named after Jr or Sr doesn't matter, they still felt it was time for a change.

Shockingly enough, they have more of an impact than it may seem. As JC and others have mentioned, the "homework" they do distracts the players way more often than you'd think. It may be a facebook post about their high school crush or getting their teammates to laugh at their tattoos, they take player's heads out of the games. Even coaches have said they haven't dealt with a fan group like that before and they warn other coaching staffs. Immature college kids fall for it every time. Take the face paint however you want, that's just a tiny part of what they do...but they do make an impact.

[FlamesRise]

I'm sure Manson and others who have been on press row during basketball games can also back that up.

[LUAlum1215]

The movie the face paint was based on came out in summer 2008. That fall, our guys went Joker face paint and no shirts the first game of the season.

A few years later, a dorm brought it back as Jerry’s Jokers and their sister dorm started Becki’s Babes. Even if there was a red tie, the group was always about Jr first.

Late to the party on this, as usual, but the red tie started in 2007. During freshman orientation/welcome week/ whatever the heck they called it, Jeff Barber told us two things. One was that no matter what school you were a fan of or what state you were from, you are now a Liberty Flame and need to act like it. But he also said that we would be starting a new tradition. On the first game of the season each year we would all wear a white shirt and red neck tie to honor Doc. The first year kids wore red ties with t shirts, painted ties on shirts, or some dudes even went full suit. The entire student side of the stadium was white shirt red tie. The next year in 2008 either the bookstore or athletics had shirts made with a red tie screen printed on them. A few homemade shirts or actual ties carried over that year but they were never seen again in any form after.

[Jonathan Carone]

I remember that vividly. I got in a giant fight with Bob Good about it. I hated the idea at first (thought it went against wearing red) but after it went over so freaking well, I started advocating for a Founder’s Day game each year where we did the white shirt red tie. It never got anywhere.

[LUAlum1215]

I remember that vividly. I got in a giant fight with Bob Good about it. I hated the idea at first (thought it went against wearing red) but after it went over so freaking well, I started advocating for a Founder’s Day game each year where we did the white shirt red tie. It never got anywhere.

Like you, I thought it was a sham until I saw how well it turned out that first game. It would have been cool to see it carry over each year but oh well.

[flameshaw]

50-100 kids can absolutely make a big impact. That's what we had at our peak. When you have that many people unified doing the same thing, it's easier for everyone else to follow along. The key is if those 50-100 kids are trying to lead the group or if they're trying to do their own thing.

50-100 kids absolutely could make a difference. You can’t just start at Thousands

I’m spending too much time in the sun....

I have been to 90% of all home football games since the vey beginning. I know none of the groups really started until the last several years. IMVVVVHO, they have had no visible impact on any football games, ie. real noise, interruption,etc. The only one I remember is the one about the QB's girlfriend. Of course I have always sat on the Baptist side.
Respectfully, I just don't see it, except for an occasional TV shot. I am also aware that they can get an individual player fired up occasionally, but it is not noticeable to anyone outside of the immediate area, unless one is looking for it. A player that listens to stuff like that off the playing field, usually isn't that effective on the field. I don't particularity like our band. I think they do a good job at what they do, it is just not much variety. But even they are more interesting than the "groups", regardless of the name(s).
50-100 kids can make some difference in a basketball area, but then again I have not seen anything that would impact a game, like the Cameron Crazies are capable of. I haven't given this any thought until now, but the Jokers were almost invisible during the recent A-Sun Championship game. At least in person.
PH, thanks for pointing out that you can't go from 50-100 kids to thousands overnight. I would have never considered that. However, with the right promotion and leadership, I believe it can be done in 2-3 years.

[flameshaw]

I remember that vividly. I got in a giant fight with Bob Good about it. I hated the idea at first (thought it went against wearing red) but after it went over so freaking well, I started advocating for a Founder’s Day game each year where we did the white shirt red tie. It never got anywhere.

I think that is a good idea. Unfortunately, Sr. has been gone so long now, IMO the current students wouldn't really appreciate it.

[Jonathan Carone]

I have been to 90% of all home football games since the vey beginning. I know none of the groups really started until the last several years. IMVVVVHO, they have had no visible impact on any football games, ie. real noise, interruption,etc. The only one I remember is the one about the QB's girlfriend. Of course I have always sat on the Baptist side.
Respectfully, I just don't see it, except for an occasional TV shot.

If you’ve heard the move those chains chant - that was started by a group of 15-20 from a dorm.

If you’ve heard the student section chant something (you can’t do that, fundamentals, etc) it’s because a small group of students unified to start the chant.

If you’ve heard a call and answer L-U chant, that was started by a group of students.

It’s not just about pranks and big things that everyone remembers.

[Purple Haize]

I have been to 90% of all home football games since the vey beginning. I know none of the groups really started until the last several years. IMVVVVHO, they have had no visible impact on any football games, ie. real noise, interruption,etc. The only one I remember is the one about the QB's girlfriend. Of course I have always sat on the Baptist side.
Respectfully, I just don't see it, except for an occasional TV shot.

If you’ve heard the move those chains chant - that was started by a group of 15-20 from a dorm.

If you’ve heard the student section chant something (you can’t do that, fundamentals, etc) it’s because a small group of students unified to start the chant.

If you’ve heard a call and answer L-U chant, that was started by a group of students.

It’s not just about pranks and big things that everyone remembers.

Please shut up. I cannot in good conscience allow your continued agreement. It is not healthy for either of our reputations. Seek help. Seek the Lord.

[LUOrange]

I do miss the powder toss for the kickoffs. That was really cool.

[BJWilliams]

Im with Jon on this one...Traditions, whether they are born organically or inorganically, become part of the fabric of a university because it finds somewhere to take root. I mean think about things like "Jump Around" at Wisconsin, or "Enter Sandman" at Virginia Tech, or even "Here Comes the Irish" at Notre Dame. Heck, think about "Don't Stop Believing" being sung after the third quarter at LU...some students would sing along and now you have 8-9,000 students singing it every home game.

As for affecting the game, It may not happen as much these days but I do recall it happening. I mean no we aren't as big or as loud as maybe "The Swamp" or Doak Campbell in the Bowden era at Florida State, or even Autzen Stadium or Arrowhead, but if they didn't have some effect, our guys wouldn't be looking to fire up the students or the announcer going " IT'S THIRRD DOOWWN!"