Deafening Roars

[rhino]

There seem few times when crowds go beyond a loud cheer, and everyone is screaming as loud as they can ... and it really does seems to be a deafening roar. They are not all that common.

Two come to mind for me ... one was a high school basketball game, we had a pretty good team ... ened up second maybe that year in Illinois. Anyway I think it was against Tilden Tech, a mostly black school around Chicago. This was '72 about, still some lingering racial tensions.

They had made a strong showing and had a commanding lead, and finally the Blue Devils were making a move. But they were still down two with the ball out in the backcourt, and 2 seconds left. The noise had been growing as it finally appeared we had a chance. The ball went in to junior Jim Wisman, took a jump shot with a hand in his face from the half court line. He drained it ... nothing but net ... and there was the deafening roar. We beat them handinly in overtime .. no three point shot at the time.

Another was a Saints game when they were contending for the playoffs, and someone (I don't think it was Dempsey) kicked something like a 55 yarder to tie or win ... again that deafening roar where you can hardly make out any particular sound.

Just thought I'd see if that relates ... I haven't heard it in quite some time.

[Tom Strange]

IIRC it was kind of like that at the NCAA East Regional Finals game between Duke and Kentucky... the triple overtime one...

I think one thing that makes it less of an occurance is the new stadiums... the fans aren't 'right on top' of the players anymore... but some of those games in domes do seem pretty loud to me... maybe not as loud as in a gym in a hotly contested game though!

[Rocky]

There seem few times when crowds go beyond a loud cheer, and everyone is screaming as loud as they can ... and it really does seems to be a deafening roar. They are not all that common.

Two come to mind for me ... one was a high school basketball game, we had a pretty good team ... ened up second maybe that year in Illinois. Anyway I think it was against Tilden Tech, a mostly black school around Chicago. This was '72 about, still some lingering racial tensions.

They had made a strong showing and had a commanding lead, and finally the Blue Devils were making a move. But they were still down two with the ball out in the backcourt, and 2 seconds left. The noise had been growing as it finally appeared we had a chance. The ball went in to junior Jim Wisman, took a jump shot with a hand in his face from the half court line. He drained it ... nothing but net ... and there was the deafening roar. We beat them handinly in overtime .. no three point shot at the time.

Another was a Saints game when they were contending for the playoffs, and someone (I don't think it was Dempsey) kicked something like a 55 yarder to tie or win ... again that deafening roar where you can hardly make out any particular sound.

Just thought I'd see if that relates ... I haven't heard it in quite some time.

Game 6 NBA finals in Phoenix against the Bulls... it was 92 or 93. I was in the arena... I couldn't hear when the game was over... and it wasn't because the Suns lost.

[Belle]

Mississippi State University vs. Alcorn State University

Basketball in a packed house at "The Hump"

I was somewhere in my pre-teen, early "tween" years and have never heard anything like it since.

Alcorn fans were fired up and having an awesome season - the Dawgs were fired up and, also having an aweseome season. This has always been a good, clean, fun rivalry with Alcorn - completely unlike anything MSU/Ole Miss related.

The Alcorn players came running out of the locker room and all of a sudden the entire coliseum began thundering and seemed to physically shake with

"Who Dat? Who Dat?

Who Dat say they beat the Braves? Who Dat?"

It was the first time any of us MSU fans had heard anything like that, much less that loud. I'll never forget seeing all the "old farts" in shock, mouths gaping open, just watching and listening to these rabid fans. You could feel the .... tension, although that's not really the right word... it was just completely and utterly unexpected to hear such choreographed cheering, so loud and so early.

The MSU students LOVED the cheer (and dance that went with it), so they would cheer right along with the Alcorn fans just cause it was fun and such a great cheer. They thundered "Who Dat" on and off throughout the whole game and it just got progressively louder as the game went on.

I can not remember who won the game, but will never forget the surprise and then ringing in my ears for what seemed like days afterwards.