I was very excited to write this article because I get to write about two of my favorite things! College football and agriculture have a history together and that can be seen in traditions and stories that many schools have. Since the beginning of the football season is almost upon us, I wanted to share some of the stories, and I’m sure there are many more, that I’ve heard over the years.
My dad has told me a story about when he was at the University of Alabama. There is a big grass field in the middle of campus called the Quad. On game days there will be thousands of people tailgating there, and during the week students like to use it for playing Frisbee and relaxing. The quad is seeded with bermudagrass so during the winter the grass is brown and dormant. One year when he was there someone went and over seeded the grass with ryegrass, which is a cool season grass. Come November and a week before the Iron Bowl with Auburn the bermudagrass was all brown and ryegrass had turned green spelling ‘War Eagle’ in the middle of Tuscaloosa. Needless to say the campus was in an uproar. The culprit was never caught, but it did get the football team fired up.
A lot of the schools in the SEC and ACC are land grant universities meaning that they have strong agriculture programs. Mississippi State University has the tradition of bringing cowbells to football games. In the mid-20th century a Jersey cow wandered onto the field, and Mississippi State ultimately won the game, beginning the tradition of bringing cowbells to games. Virginia Tech’s mascot started out as a live turkey in 1913 that was used to pull a cart around the stadium. Their use of a live turkey as a mascot continued into the 1950s. Auburn University has a tradition of rolling Toomer’s Oaks after football victories. In 2010 the live oak trees were poisoned using an herbicide called Spike that contains a non-selective active ingredient called Tebuthiuron. The trees were poisoned after the Iron Bowl by an upset Alabama fan. Consequentially the space has been replanted a couple of times to establish new trees there.
‘Between the hedges’ is a reference to the hedges encircling the field at Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia. The hedges were originally planted in 1929. In 1996 the hedges were removed so that soccer could be played in the stadium for the 1996 Olympics. Around the same time nematodes were found to be infesting the hedges, severely weakening the plants. Cuttings were taken from the hedges that were removed and grown into full grown plants, which were transplanted into the soil. The nematodes were removed and the hedges, named Hedges II now, resumed growing like a weed. Which, is what many fans of opposing schools claim the hedges to be, saying that they are from an invasive species of privet.
As we enter this new football season maybe take a moment to reflect on the team that you pull for and the traditions that they have. Agriculture has played a role in our sports and traditions for many years and I hope that continues. If you have any agricultural questions please contact your local Extension Office or email me at Jacob.Williams@uga.edu.