The Crazy Meter for the Florida State Game

[Native]

Go watch the 98 Wojo game on youtube, you can practically feel the crowd vibrating.

For posterity:



I will say this: I was fortunate to be at that 1998 game (I was 6 at the time) and I definitely remember the peaks of it being louder.

(Per the discussions about "You Suck" — very audible on tape in 1998.)

But I will also say that there are many things that come across on that tape; namely, if you watch between, say, the 26:00 and 33:00 timestamps on that video, the students don't look too dissimilar from today's. Aside from the fact that they're not all wearing body paint or dumb-ish costumes, there's not a lot of jumping around going on on defense or anything like that. And we're getting waxed by the cheats during that timeframe. It's only when the comeback begins that the students really get back into it and then the roof comes off the place.

And bear in mind that, assuming the tradition of Bill Werber-ing the Crazies holds serve, the students of 1998 were probably being criticized by 1970's-era Crazies for not being loud enough!

The one thing that the students of 1998 had, though, is much better spread: the undergraduates on the band-end side of 17 opposite where the Line Monitors usually sit were much more involved than they are today, as well as the students towards the back of 17. And the graduate students were way, way more involved thanks to the efforts of throaty, Viking, Mullet, et al. That's why I'm not convinced that attendance is the real crux of the issue: give me 600 really loud students, and I'll dominate any section of 1200+. Easy.

[sagegrouse]

I'm pretty sure the Crazies didn't initiate the "Hi X, You Suck" -- at least when I was at Duke from 88-91 we just did the "Hi X" part. I think the first I heard of the other was from Maryland fans.

In any event, the modification subsequently adopted is puerile, and I think (young or old) objectively not clever or funny and I wish they'd stop doing it.

Also, I'll second that 98 vs. Carolina was loudest I can remember Cameron (can't speak to the Freddy Lind game).

Now, get off my lawn.

"You suck," is puerile and, as Dean Mary Grace wilson might have said "unbecoming to a student at Duke." Yelling "O" during the Spar Spangled Banner ("Oh say does...") is moronic, as it was a Baltimore Orioles cheer from the late 1970's and early 1980's -- get it? "O's!"

I was at both the 1961 and 1988 games. The 1961 game may have been loud but about 20 percent of the fans were there to root for the Tar Heels, so I am sure 1988 was louder. And, we were "too cool for school" back then, so the tradition of organized Duke cheers had not set in; the cheerleaders had to do all the work.

[Native]

Take a look at highlights of the 2017 Duke-cheats tilt and try to really have a keen eye on the differences between the two. (This wasn't an instant classic, so — insert usual disclaimer about apples and oranges.) On tape, at least, the general noise level comes across basically the same during the big moments, but you'll notice that the students on the right-hand side of the frame are less involved than they were in 1998 throughout.



Speaking anecdotally, I wouldn't be shocked if part of the reason we've lost some of the spread is that the undergrads are packed like sardines into 17 to a greater degree than they were in the 90s. There is very little room for movement, and the Line Monitors usually have a bit more just because their section is held in place while they're doing their pregame duties.

[Kedsy]

Also, I'll second that 98 vs. Carolina was loudest I can remember Cameron (can't speak to the Freddy Lind game).

I was at the '98 UNC game, and it was quite loud (though, inexplicably, my now-wife fell asleep in her seat during the game, though today she gets angry when I tell that story). But I remember other games as loud or louder -- the 7-0 game in 1981 was probably the loudest I attended. I screamed as loud as I could for the entire 20 minutes of the first half and I couldn't hear myself.

As for Herb, I sat next to him at the 1991 Regional in Detroit. At that time he had a crazy hat. He didn't become "Crazy Towel Guy" until someone stole the hat from his hotel room.

[DU82]

If the students actually met CTG, they’d no longer cheer for him.

Me, I’d rather talk about the weather.

[luvdahops]

The loudest I personally experienced was the ‘86 regular season finale against Carolina. Duke, the Heels and Georgia Tech had been ranked in the Top 5 all year, and each had looked ascendant at various points during conference play. But Duke had the strongest closing kick, and finished first outright at 12-2 after knocking off the Brad Daugherty-led Heels 82-74 in a very hard fought battle. That game also featured the legendary “in-Hale, ex-Hale” chant as an added bonus.

[sagegrouse]

If the students actually met CTG, they’d no longer cheer for him.

Me, I’d rather talk about the weather.

I'll call you out on this one. Can't we have some truly dumb traditions? Herb is approaching 80, a lifelong Duke fan -- and a true eccentric. He is who he is.

Herb was manager IIRC on the 1961 Duke baseball team that went to the College World Series. He once talked his way into a ride in the jump seat on a flight to the 1980 regionals. He has had a ton of health problems, including heart surgery, and like many of us in that cohort, undoubtedly has a heavy load of meds, to who-knows-what effect. (Mine make me charming and witty -- yeah, right!)

[Steven43]

I'll call you out on this one. Can't we have some truly dumb traditions? Herb is approaching 80, a lifelong Duke fan -- and a true eccentric. He is who he is.

Herb was manager IIRC on the 1961 Duke baseball team that went to the College World Series. He once talked his way into a ride in the jump seat on a flight to the 1980 regionals. He has had a ton of health problems, including heart surgery, and like many of us in that cohort, undoubtedly has a heavy load of meds, to who-knows-what effect. (Mine make me charming and witty -- yeah, right!)

You know, I think you’re right. Having some “dumb” traditions is a great thing. I hope Herb keeps going for another 10 years or more. Attaboy, Herb! We’ll keep cheering with ya’, buddy!

[npdevil27]

K tonight

"This was like an old-fashioned Cameron game, where the crowd and the team were one," Krzyzewski said. "During that magical stretch in the second half, everything just goes nuts."