Do you like the PA "And that's another Golden Gopher... First Down" Announcement?

"and that's another Golden Gopher FIRST DOWN" - Like it or not?

  • Yes, I like it

    Votes: 96 57.5%
  • No, I do not like it

    Votes: 71 42.5%

  • Total voters
    167
PA guy clearly loves hearing himself talk and thinks the game is about him. Just shut up and stick to the basics. We have a cheerleader and a band, we don't need you trying to inject your awesome personality into the proceedings. The Ski U Mah would catch on if he'd shut up.

The PA guy is good, much better than most PA guys in my opinion. He also does hockey and wrestling at the U and when he tried to retire from hockey, fans pretty much begged to get him back. I felt badly for the couple people that gave it a whirl while he was gone because they couldn't measure up to him and eventually he came back.
 

The PA guy is good, much better than most PA guys in my opinion. He also does hockey and wrestling at the U and when he tried to retire from hockey, fans pretty much begged to get him back. I felt badly for the couple people that gave it a whirl while he was gone because they couldn't measure up to him and eventually he came back.



The difference in Hockey is that he just says, 'Gophers back at full strengh'. Then the fans say. 'We always were.'. He's not involved like with the first down cheer.

What do I know, I wnt to Wisconsin. It's not that big a dal we should stop talking about it.
 

The difference in Hockey is that he just says, 'Gophers back at full strengh'. Then the fans say. 'We always were.'. He's not involved like with the first down cheer.

What do I know, I wnt to Wisconsin. It's not that big a dal we should stop talking about it.

No, actually he's quite involved during the hockey games. The students even know his name.

"Hey Jamie, how much time's left?"

And he's absolutely emphatic announcing Gopher players and on Gopher goals. The only reason you don't hear more of him in hockey is the fewer stoppages and sub-goals (like first downs) in hockey.
 

I like it, and I love the band flourish that follows it. Always have it in my head after a game.

I think it's hilarious when we get the first down off of a personal foul an he does it. Hilarious in the sense that it is silly in an enjoyable way.

It's funny in a different way when we're down by 20, and you give one of those descending, dejected ones, *sigh* first down.

It's one of those things that makes, I think, TCF bank stadium the best game day experience in town. The other stadiums/teams have more glitz and flair maybe, but nothing beats outdoor football in the Big Ten.
 



For the "Rah!" lovers, I'd like to point out that no one hears you do it. All we hear is the PA. Why? Because hardly anyone is doing it! Sounds to me like 45,000 or so have voted and shot it down. Time to give it up. :)
 

If we are going to complain about Gopher cheers, it starts with the Superman music and push-ups on 3rd down after the kickoff. Do it during the TV break or get rid of it. There's nothing worse than a critical defensive stand and the students are counting to 17 instead of making real noise.
 

If we are going to complain about Gopher cheers, it starts with the Superman music and push-ups on 3rd down after the kickoff. Do it during the TV break or get rid of it. There's nothing worse than a critical defensive stand and the students are counting to 17 instead of making real noise.

I'll agree with that. The timing of it is often terrible just as you've pointed out. The music and counting doesn't particularly bother me but the timing has to be fixed.
 

I would love to see the Ski U Mah chant gain traction. Simply waving flags on the field won't get it done, especially when done pre-game when people aren't necessarily focusing on the field. Keep sending those e-mails.

The Ski-U-Mah chant could be something really special. Toward the end of the 2009 season it was starting to catch on in my section. With the diminished enthusiasm for the team, however, it really faded in 2010.

My advice to whoever is in charge of the gameday operations would be to keep trying. Any new thing takes a while to catch on. It will probably seem really lame for a season or two, then kinda lame for a season or two, then kinda cool for a season or two until finally it has caught on - everybody is doing it and it becomes spontaneous and awesome.

I think the appropriate timing would be right before kickoff of each half.

Can someone remind me of the email address that they wanted gameday suggestions sent to?

Oh, and by the way...

RAH!
 



The "rah!" is great. It should stay, for sure.

I wouldn't mind them changing the PA portion of the first down cheer, toning it down a bit. All that is needed is an appropriately excited "eight yard gain on the play.... first down, Minnesota." then the band plays their bit and the students join them in the chant which follows. No yelling is needed at all by the PA guy. And no over-emphatic "First Down" is needed either. However, the band and the students should still do their portion of it, and louder if possible.
 

I think it is hilarious when media talking heads make fun of and mock the Golden Gopher first down chant. I am not the biggest fan of the chant, but whatever. It is not like it is the only place in the country it happens. Anybody ever watch a New England Patriots home game? Their fans do it very loudly with every Pat first down. So mock and ridicule the Gophers all you want, but remember the fans of the most successful pro football team of the decade do the same thing.
 

I think it is hilarious when media talking heads make fun of and mock the Golden Gopher first down chant. I am not the biggest fan of the chant, but whatever. It is not like it is the only place in the country it happens. Anybody ever watch a New England Patriots home game? Their fans do it very loudly with every Pat first down. So mock and ridicule the Gophers all you want, but remember the fans of the most successful pro football team of the decade do the same thing.

Which media make fun of it? I'm not challenging your assertion, just curious.
 




The First Down thing - I dunno, it's kinda bush league. I used to like it, now I do it half-heartedly. As other posters have hinted at - it sucks to do if you're down by a bunch. If you're in the game or up, it's great. So I guess maybe we just have to start winning and then I'll like it again.

The Rah thing at the end of the Rouser - when did that start? I don't remember it noticing it until maybe 6-7 years ago. Have we always done it? It's not in rhythm and it feels totally tacked on for no reason to me. It's impossible to cheer along with the announcer because it comes at a random time after Yeah, Gophers.
 

The Rah thing at the end of the Rouser - when did that start? I don't remember it noticing it until maybe 6-7 years ago. Have we always done it? It's not in rhythm and it feels totally tacked on for no reason to me. It's impossible to cheer along with the announcer because it comes at a random time after Yeah, Gophers.

I grew up with the RAH at the end of the Rouser. As long as I am alive there will be a Rah at the end of every Rouser I do. There always has been and there always will be. The announcer guy does it way to late like an afterthought.

Traditions evolve and fade. The Rah is fading but it was what we did when I was at the U.

Kind of like clapping through the Rouser. That started with Mussleman and his pregame Gopher Harlem Globetrotter routine. The crowd got so excited waiting for the Gophers to take the court that they started to clap in unison. When the Rouser started up everyone kept clapping and they do it to this very day.

Nobody clapped to the Rouser before Mussleman.

Just like the Key play. We use to pull out our keys and shake them on a crucial third down play because it was a "key play". Then when the Gophers got really miserable some students pulled out there keys on the kick off as a satire. Like if we could stop the kick off from being returned it would be a key play. That evolved to the U making a video of someone shaking their keys and played it during kick offs. They did that at the Metrodome. That seems to have faded away too which I think is a good thing..
 


Just like the Key play. We use to pull out our keys and shake them on a crucial third down play because it was a "key play". Then when the Gophers got really miserable some students pulled out there keys on the kick off as a satire. Like if we could stop the kick off from being returned it would be a key play. That evolved to the U making a video of someone shaking their keys and played it during kick offs. They did that at the Metrodome. That seems to have faded away too which I think is a good thing..

Actually the student section and some others nearby do the key thing on kickoffs all the time.
 

Just like the Key play. We use to pull out our keys and shake them on a crucial third down play because it was a "key play". Then when the Gophers got really miserable some students pulled out there keys on the kick off as a satire. Like if we could stop the kick off from being returned it would be a key play. That evolved to the U making a video of someone shaking their keys and played it during kick offs. They did that at the Metrodome. That seems to have faded away too which I think is a good thing..

This would explain why we never used to jingle keys when we were receiving a kick. This changed sometime after I graduated in 2002 and became keys on all kick-offs. I don't remember seeing/hearing keys this year, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
 

the key thing is even worse than the first down chant.
 

It seems like the First Down Chant should be going for two now, and not hide behind some silly coaching card comment.
 

The accelerated spelling during the Rouser is my biggest pet peeve about game day. I refuse to go along with the sped-up version, actually keep pace with the rhythm, and finish when the band does (and about 3 seconds after most of the rest of the spectators). My wife rolls her eyes and laughs at me every time.

Sprenger and I are right there with you, DP. Surprised your wife would roll her eyes since she is a former MN Band geek.

I don't fight it too much. I'm not going to be able to stop 30K people from speeding up. Usually the quicker the acceleration, the more the crowd is into the game, so it's not the worst thing that could happen at a game.
 

Surprised your wife would roll her eyes since she is a former MN Band geek.

She too is disdainful of the accelerated pace, but she is even more exasperated by my irascible pedantry.
 



1. Keep the first down cheer. For the life of me I can't imagine why people would want to get rid of one of the few things that gets our crowd to participate and show some life. Heaven forbid people would cheer on defense other than waiting until the announcer says "It's 3rd down Gopher fans" with 10 seconds left on the play clock.

2. RAH belongs at the end of the Rouser. It's what I was taught, it's what I say and it's what I'm teaching my kiddos.

3. Keys is stupid. Never done it and never will.
 




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