BOG

[johnb]

I was pleased to see my dorm alma mater, BOG, mentioned as having been a backbone of earlier versions of the Crazies. I did want to point out that Bog wasn't simply a "loose" group that was asked to disband. While loose and disbanded, our dorm was taken away from us. I was gone by the time of the final straw, but I seem to recall that repeated alcohol infractions were the cause.

I did like the general tone of the article, though, and feel it correct. I should add that the alcohol consumption was even more obvious at football games. Circa 1980, we would make a some sort of container in which we would put a keg. Our favorite (again, my memory is a bit blurred) was to use and re-use the coffin theme, so that we would build a coffin, stick in a keg, and carry it into the football game. Of course, beer was unregulated throughout campus in those days, and it was easy to find free kegs throughout campus Thursday through Sunday. Things have changed since then (eg, the drinking age was only 18; MADD just meant angry; and sexual assaults were defined differently). I wouldn't want to change the trend, especially in regards to the accidents, dangers, and overall harmfulness of the bygone era--I can also remember telling my fellow Boggers on Spring Break that it wasn't cool to wear Duke and BOG shirts and rate young women as they walked by (numbers held aloft, as in winter olympic judging) or break beer bottles in the shower on a regular basis--but it is more likely for fans to be Crazy if they're drunk and resentful instead of sober and saturated with recurrent victory.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Before BOG there was Doug Hinds, T '64, and a number of other clever, persistent fans. We come from a long line of spirited students supporting our teams!;)

[dukestheheat]

So, I was chatting it up on the floor with then-Duke team doctor (Berlin) before a game no I don't remember which one. This doc was one hilarious guy to say the least. Great doc, funny as they come, too. So, all the BOGuys were rallying behind the opponent's bench to give them all they had, and Berlin walks over on the court, again before the game starts, and catches eyes with a BOG'ger on the back row of the BOG contingent, and Berlin looks at him and wags his finger and he bellows 'behave!' at the dude. The student politely grinned and nodded back, and that was the end of it.

I think Berlin only caught eyes with that one guy, because everyone else seemed oblivious to Berlin being there except him; in some strange way, Berlin felt he'd done his duty. It's like doc knew he had to go over and speak to them, but he wasn't really trying to reign anyone in, he just wanted to give the impression that he'd done so.

I miss those days, a lot. That was so much fun watching all of that. I think that Cameron remains a circus but only the animals have been changed out. I remember Danny Ferry saying that Cameron was a living, breathing organism, that it was alive. Cameron still breathes!

dukestheheat.

[DukieInBrasil]

and i thought this was a thread dedicated to the greatest band to grace the face of the earth: Band of Gypsys.

[SilkyJ]

I can also remember telling my fellow Boggers on Spring Break that it wasn't cool to wear Duke and BOG shirts and rate young women as they walked by (numbers held aloft, as in winter olympic judging)

As my father tells it, this was a regular theme at Myrtle every year as well. Not that he ever would have participated....:rolleyes:

All in all, I get some of the cutbacks and regulation on drinking, but its a shame what some of the decisions have apparently done to campus culture. My decision making probably fell into the fast and loose category back then so I guess I'm biased...

[trinity92]

I had a high school friend in BOG, so they were natural chaperones to my freshman year games. Always behind the opponent's bench, always had a halftime stat sheet handed to me. It was loads of fun going to games with those guys!

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I will say for all their crazy antics there was nothing better than watching the boggers give the opposing team hell during timeouts. As I understand it, they are the reason (or at least one of them) that students were moved from behind the opposing team bench. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.) They would lean over as far they possibly could and scream as a group at the top of their lungs during the entire time out at the opposing team. It's why teams always brought those little fold up chairs so they could have their time outs on the court away from the boggers. Those guys were awesome. And who could forget the shirt-over-the-head troll dance. And invariably one of them doing a lap around the court at halftime in full troll mode - kind of Chris Farley'ish. Good times.

[dukestheheat]

^^^^^^^^

Yes, BOG was by far the best at intimidating opposing teams during the timeouts! The thing I remember most was a totally crazed, maniacal screaming and taunting by the guys at that time, kind of like the castle-dwellers in Monty Python and the Holy Grail! And also the opponents pulling out the little fold-up chairs to get AWAY from the BOG! It didn't seem to work! I used to laugh so hard at those dudes man.

dth.

[Reilly]

The timeout heckling was wonderful. It got to a new level of absurdity when there would be a police officer stationed behind the bench ... so it was other team on the bench ... w/ their couple dozen fans behind the bench ... then a lone police or public safety officer in uniform behind the opposing fans as a buffer to try to keep the peace ... and then BOG leaning around the officer to yell anyway ....

[-jk]

Before BOG there was Doug Hinds, T '64, and a number of other clever, persistent fans. We come from a long line of spirited students supporting our teams!;)

Indeed. Doug was the original Überfan. And a great guy. Didn't miss a Duke final four until 2010 when he was ill.

Just google Doug Hinds and rubber chicken for some stories.

-jk

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Indeed. Doug was the original Überfan. And a great guy. Didn't miss a Duke final four until 2010 when he was ill.

Just google Doug Hinds and rubber chicken for some stories.

-jk

I was there. Right behind the Duke bench. I saw the chicken, many times.

In another part of the student section downstairs, there were also three or four guys dressed in striped shirts who sat together. They used flip cards to give numerical ratings to the referees' calls much like the ratings for Olympic figure skating.

When opposing players were introduced, we yelled after each introduction, "Who's he?". That continued for many games, but one of the administrators (Eddie Cameron?) eventually asked us to stop because it was impolite. We complied and went on to do and say other things.

We weren't called the Crazies then, but we were crazy for Duke. Imagination and creativity ruled.

[DUKIE V(A)]

Had a few opportunities to sit with the BOGGERs as one of my best friends was tight with a BOGGER from his freshman dorm. Great times...

1. The BOGGERs were so loud during timeouts, I remember Michigan needing to move their team huddles onto the court. It seems fairly commonplace for teams to move onto the court during timeouts now, but this was the first time I had seen it. It was fun to be included in that.

2. I remember the BOGGERs starting random chants such as "Test on Tuesday" and such in the middle of games. Funny stuff.

And my favorite and one I still can't quite completely wrap my head around...

3. During my sophomore year (1990), we were playing a late afternoon Sunday home game against a very good Arizona squad (I believe they had the late Brian Williams/Bison Dele, Jud Beuchler, Sean Rooks, etc.) and it was very close at halftime. My buddy's friend from BOG turns to us during the intermission and says something to the effect of "Man, I don't know what do to. This is a great game, but I was planning to go to The Crazy Horse in Myrtle to see my favorite stripper. You got to help me decide what should I do." I was pretty naive and shocked that this could even be a consideration. Both my friend and I strongly argued for staying at the game...We argued that the game itself was reason enough to stay, then pointed out the long drive to and from Myrtle (and that it was late already), I even said something like "Dude, it's Sunday, is it even open?" His reply with a huge grin, "Oh, it's open." There was no reasoning with the guy. He chose the stripper. That was an eye opener for me and a story I will never forget. BTW, we beat Arizona in a nailbiter and somehow he survived his trip and did not seem to regret his decision.

[orrnot]

2. I remember the BOGGERs starting random chants such as "Test on Tuesday" and such in the middle of games. Funny stuff.

--Actually, the test was on Friday.

[OldPhiKap]

PhiKap shout out for the BOGgers. Our West Campus Doppelgängers.

We couldn't afford umlauts on East Campus.

BOG was an institution at Duke and, like many of us, fell by the wayside of "progress". I'll leave it to smarter folks to decide whether that's a good thing or bad.

[TobaMom]

Of course, beer was unregulated throughout campus in those days, and it was easy to find free kegs throughout campus Thursday through Sunday.

Yes, and my freshman year ('80-'81), beer was available for purchase on our meal cards with "points". None of my friends at other schools could believe it!

[dukeballboy88]

I remember back when I got ball boy for the team, what an awesome job, I got to work the UNC game. I remember during the starting lineups they called out Dave Popson for UNC and this group behind the UNC bench said very loudly and jokingly, "OH NO NOT POPSON!" Me and my dad still die laughing about that!

[Savage]

--Actually, the test was on Friday.

The "Test on Friday" chant was actually directed at one of the Duke cheerleaders. One of my fellow BOGgers (I graduated in '92) asked one of the cheerleaders out on a date for a Thursday night. The cheerleader replied that she appreciated the offer, but could not make it as she had a "test on Friday". This was taken as a huge insult as everyone knows that no professors would schedule tests on Fridays....

[anon]

The "Test on Friday" chant was actually directed at one of the Duke cheerleaders. One of my fellow BOGgers (I graduated in '92) asked one of the cheerleaders out on a date for a Thursday night. The cheerleader replied that she appreciated the offer, but could not make it as she had a "test on Friday". This was taken as a huge insult as everyone knows that no professors would schedule tests on Fridays....

Uhh... when did that rule change? I certainly would have appreciated it...

[Reilly]

... asked one of the cheerleaders out on a date for a Thursday night. The cheerleader replied that she appreciated the offer, but could not make it as she had a "test on Friday". This was taken as a huge insult ....

At the risk of getting *way* off-topic: the funniest declination I ever heard about was when a hallmate asked a gal he knew and worked with if she wanted to go out, and she replied "OK -- but not as a date or anything."

[DUKIE V(A)]

The "Test on Friday" chant was actually directed at one of the Duke cheerleaders. One of my fellow BOGgers (I graduated in '92) asked one of the cheerleaders out on a date for a Thursday night. The cheerleader replied that she appreciated the offer, but could not make it as she had a "test on Friday". This was taken as a huge insult as everyone knows that no professors would schedule tests on Fridays....

The back story makes it even better. :)

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I will say for all their crazy antics there was nothing better than watching the boggers give the opposing team hell during timeouts. As I understand it, they are the reason (or at least one of them) that students were moved from behind the opposing team bench. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.) They would lean over as far they possibly could and scream as a group at the top of their lungs during the entire time out at the opposing team. It's why teams always brought those little fold up chairs so they could have their time outs on the court away from the boggers. Those guys were awesome. And who could forget the shirt-over-the-head troll dance. And invariably one of them doing a lap around the court at halftime in full troll mode - kind of Chris Farley'ish. Good times.
And before the BOGgers, at least concurrent with them, were the Phi Psi's in the early/mid 70's. We'd pick on one player and ride him, one time until he cried. This happened in a game vs. Clemson, when they had 2 high profile freshman guards - Skip Brown and Skip Wise. I forget which one was the target of Jim O'D's verbal abuse (O'D was the one with the loud booming voice, and the rest of us followed his lead), but when he left the court with about 5 minutes left, he'd played so poorly he was bawling like a baby.

JV players started appearing as a buffer zone behind the visiting players in the early 70's (and possibly earlier). We sat in the fourth row, me with my air horn. THAT'S when the teams started having their time out huddles out on the court...
2335

Yes, it still works! You can still see the Durham Sporting Goods price tag on the refill can. It cost $2.40 in the spring of 1976!

[SlimSlowSlider]

I was at Duke 86-90 and BOG was in its prime. My favorite antic of theirs was the Troll Dance. They would all pull their t-shirts over their head and dance/bounce around for a couple of minutes. It was hysterical.

[Steve68]

And before the BOGgers, at least concurrent with them, were the Phi Psi's in the early/mid 70's. We'd pick on one player and ride him, one time until he cried. This happened in a game vs. Clemson, when they had 2 high profile freshman guards - Skip Brown and Skip Wise. I forget which one was the target of Jim O'D's verbal abuse (O'D was the one with the loud booming voice, and the rest of us followed his lead), but when he left the court with about 5 minutes left, he'd played so poorly he was bawling like a baby.

JV players started appearing as a buffer zone behind the visiting players in the early 70's (and possibly earlier). We sat in the fourth row, me with my air horn. THAT'S when the teams started having their time out huddles out on the court...
2335

Yes, it still works! You can still see the Durham Sporting Goods price tag on the refill can. It cost $2.40 in the spring of 1976!

I was treasurer of BOG from 1966 to 1968. We were in our infancy then, but I don't remember any other "organized" group at games. The antics evolved and escalated over time, but the origins were in the '60s. The administration disbanded BOG when one of the later groups (in the '90s?) trashed the dorm one-too-many times after numerous warnings.

[hurleyfor3]

Uhh... when did that rule change? I certainly would have appreciated it...

Probably when they got rid of Thursday night kegs.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I was treasurer of BOG from 1966 to 1968. We were in our infancy then, but I don't remember any other "organized" group at games. The antics evolved and escalated over time, but the origins were in the '60s. The administration disbanded BOG when one of the later groups (in the '90s?) trashed the dorm one-too-many times after numerous warnings.
I was there from Aug. '72 through May '76. Once I joined Phi Psi we sat there for three years. We were not exclusive, I'm sure there were many BOGgers there too. In fact, I think it was a BOGger that Maryland player Jap Trimble smacked in the face as the ran past the stands after the game (1975?). He literally jumped up on the first bench as he ran by the stands, just before the team bench, and reached up to the 4th row and smacked some guy in the face. He kept running and out to the locker room. The man had no class.

BTW, Phi Psi fell victim to Nan's hatred of fraternities in the late 90's too, being on double secret probation and then, for damaging a ceiling tile, were kicked out of University housing, which forced Phi Psi National to withdraw the charter. We had a couple of varsity football players (our star sophomore wide receivers) and several rugby players in the brotherhood at the time.

[Newton_14]

As my father tells it, this was a regular theme at Myrtle every year as well. Not that he ever would have participated....:rolleyes:

All in all, I get some of the cutbacks and regulation on drinking, but its a shame what some of the decisions have apparently done to campus culture. My decision making probably fell into the fast and loose category back then so I guess I'm biased...

I am shocked! Shocked i tell you... :)

[NYCtoATL]

The administration disbanded BOG when one of the later groups (in the '90s?) trashed the dorm one-too-many times after numerous warnings.

They were sadly disbanded in the early '90s (no more Circus Berserkus).

One of the final straws was when they were caught with kegs in their living space while on probation. The report on the judicial/residential life hearing about that incident is the second funniest thing I've ever read in the Chronicle. Half-full, chilled kegs were found in one of the BOG bathrooms, and the BOG president was brought before the board. He asserted that the kegs found were actually old kegs left over from a party months before, when BOG was not on probation. The board asked how a keg several months old could have stayed cold in a bathroom where dozens of hot showers were taken every day. His response was, "How should I know, I'm not a chemistry major."

[BigWayne]

Yes, and my freshman year ('80-'81), beer was available for purchase on our meal cards with "points". None of my friends at other schools could believe it!

That was quite a year. Too bad Uncle Terry found out and turned off the tap the next year. Exam time was amazing. I remember girls whose parents had signed them up for the full meal plan giving us their cards the last week of the semester to use their points before they lost them. We would buy cases of beer in the CI and the bartenders would open every one. We would just plop them down on those long quarters playing tables.

Do you remember when they refinished all the tables and the quarters wouldn't bounce right anymore?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Yes, and my freshman year ('80-'81), beer was available for purchase on our meal cards with "points". None of my friends at other schools could believe it!
Before there were meal cards with points, we had "meal books", with tear-out coupons worth, I think, 50 cents each, and a book was procured from an office in the Union Building for either $10 or $20, most commonly billed to your parents. Buy food in the Blue and White dining hall, Oak Room or C.I., and give them tickets. I guess we got change when appropriate, but I don't remember. Couldn't use them anywhere else for anything else on West Campus - I don't think even the Dope Shop would take them - we had to pay cash for our jamoca shakes and cheeseburgers! They were also used on the various eateries on East.

Anyway, the point of this post is that the very first time meal plan money could be used for ANYTHING else (spring 1974?) was when I convinced someone in the meal office to let us take meal tickets for a charity auction we were having, and they would exchange the tickets taken in for cash. I think we were raffling off a signed basketball to benefit Children's Cancer Research at the Duke Hospital, a precursor to the Phi Psi Celebrity Auction For Children's Cancer Research fund raiser started the next year. We had a table set up on the quad, and chances could be bought for $1.00, or the equivalent in meal tickets! Some students bought a ticket or two, but many scholarship athletes, especially the football players, would drop (almost) full meal books into our box! We almost doubled our donation with the meal tickets :D

And the rest, as they say, is history!

[TobaMom]

That was quite a year. Too bad Uncle Terry found out and turned off the tap the next year.

When I arrived, I had an "appropriate" meal plan for food . . . kept hounding my parents for more points when I learned about the beer. I imagine my parents expected me to come home big as a house. When Uncle Terry's letter arrived at our house, filling the parents in on what he had learned and assuring them it would not happen again, my folks had more than a few comments about my points requests. Ah, good times.

[duke79]

That was quite a year. Too bad Uncle Terry found out and turned off the tap the next year. Exam time was amazing. I remember girls whose parents had signed them up for the full meal plan giving us their cards the last week of the semester to use their points before they lost them. We would buy cases of beer in the CI and the bartenders would open every one. We would just plop them down on those long quarters playing tables.

Do you remember when they refinished all the tables and the quarters wouldn't bounce right anymore?

I was in law school at Duke at the time but had an undergrad GF and still knew many other undergrads. It was an amazing year. I'm sure the sale of beer in the CI skyrocketed that year with everyone buying beer with their mealcard "points". I do remember many female undergrads, but also male undergrads, who had huge numbers of unused points on their cards towards the end of the semester just giving out their cards left and right to people so they could buy beer with the points. I believe you could also buy large buckets of shrimp to eat with the beer (maybe just at Happy Hour on Fridays??). If my memory is correct, I believe it was an idiot Chronicle reporter who, during an interview with Uncle Terry, asked him about undergrads using their meal cards to buy beer in the CI. Uncle Terry professed total ignorance of this practice but was visibly upset and said that he disapproved and would take steps to end that policy. He ruined what had been a great "perk" to the new meal plan.

I remember playing "quarters" many evenings in the CI but don't remember when they re-finished the tables.

[OldPhiKap]

That was quite a year. Too bad Uncle Terry found out and turned off the tap the next year. Exam time was amazing. I remember girls whose parents had signed them up for the full meal plan giving us their cards the last week of the semester to use their points before they lost them. We would buy cases of beer in the CI and the bartenders would open every one. We would just plop them down on those long quarters playing tables.

Do you remember when they refinished all the tables and the quarters wouldn't bounce right anymore?

Uncle Terry chastised us having a food fight at the C.I. in the Fall of '84.

Which goes to prove, "Monday, Monday" was more dangerous than the BOGgers.