TAKING PRE-GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL
A few years back, the Vols tried to incorporate more tradition and history into their pre-game activities with the reading of Gen. Neyland’s Seven Maxims. The list includes:
1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
2. Play for and make the breaks and when one comes your way score
3. If at first the game - or the breaks - go against you, don’t let up put on more steam.
4. Protect our kickers, our QB, our lead and our ball game.
5. Ball, oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle for this is the winning edge.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
7. Carry the fight to our opponent and keep it there for 60 minutes.
As you can imagine, reading that aloud wasn’t one of college football’s more electrifying moments. Given the Vols success in recruiting Samoans and Hawaiians, maybe they should look to another island country for something more tribal to bring back the intimidation of Neyland Stadium. Something more in the mode of The New Zealand All Blacks (rugby) who chant The Haka before every game: (Ht - Roll Bama Roll).
The new WordPress upgrade is giving us fits with embedding video. So just click here to view the Haka in its glory.
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1
Euless Trinity a high school in the Dallas/Fort Worth area did the haka before and after games last year. It worked for them seeing how they won the 5A Division I state championship. Here is an article about them: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/topstories/stories/120905dnspo1Ahstrinity.1c45bc48.html
Comment by rjm — July 18, 2006 @ 9:50 am
2
OK, that is serious badass! Getting up in the opponents’ face and crankin’ up? Even the U could take lessons from that.
Now I want an All-Blacks jersey for my son.
Comment by Southern Papa — July 18, 2006 @ 10:06 am
3
You know Papa, I thought the same thing.
There’s a jersey that says….”My team can beat up your team.”
Comment by paulwesterdawg — July 18, 2006 @ 12:03 pm
4
Sorry, I was at Notre Dame stadium last year and watched the BYU players do it (BYU has strong ties to the South Pacific - I don’t know why)
….it didn’t work to the tune of 49-23.
Comment by TomB — July 18, 2006 @ 12:08 pm
5
I first saw the Haka back during the rugby World Cup (the one England won), and it scared the hell out of me.
Which I guess is the point.
Comment by Steve in Houston — July 18, 2006 @ 12:13 pm
6
The Haka is a pretty good tactic. I don’t think it worked for BYU at ND simply because there’s something less intimidating about it coming from Mormons.
Comment by JohnWA — July 18, 2006 @ 1:50 pm
7
If you ever get to opportunity to see the All Blacks live, take it - it’s absolutely electrifying. The correct response is to face it, about a decade ago there was a huge controversy in the Rugby Union world because the England squad turned their backs on it - the ultimate disrespectful gesture and one guaranteed to make New Zealand play even harder. Not one of the smartest ideas the England coaching staff has ever had.
Comment by Mighty Squirrel Kingdom — July 18, 2006 @ 2:13 pm
8
“When there’s dirty work to be done, you can’t wrong with a Mormon.”
Comment by peachy — July 18, 2006 @ 5:34 pm
9
Thank God UT did away with the maxim shit, I have the image of Travis Stephens reciting it right before Miami ran us out of our own stadium burned into my memory. While the principles ring true, it’s very outdated and boring, much too boring to be reciting before a huge game. I personally would incorporate the blasting of Hells Bells or some other semi demonic tune to try to intimidate the visitors.
Comment by VOLPIMP — July 18, 2006 @ 9:05 pm
10
The amount of time that it would take for the SEC to declare something as badass and intimidating as the Hakka “taunting” and worthy of many, many penalties could be measured in milliseconds. For a contrast in style, the 101st Airborne’s rugby club does the Hokey Pokey before kickoff. Because they can.
Comment by jakldawg — July 18, 2006 @ 9:48 pm