| Spack ‘staches’ for Homecoming |
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| Written by Tony Andracki, Daily Vidette Sports Editor |
| Thursday, 15 October 2009 21:13 |
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As the campus prepares for all the festivities that Homecoming weekend brings, the Student Government Association has come up with a way for students to display their school pride—mustaches. SGA will hand out fake mustaches at the entrance of The Zoo before Saturday’s Homecoming football game, allowing students to emulate head coach Brock Spack, who sports one of the most recognizable mustaches on campus. Matt Spialek, SGA president, credits off-campus Senator Steven Pankow with coming up with the idea. Pankow is also an equipment manager for the football team and pitched the idea to the rest of the SGA during a meeting and they ran with the idea from there. “I think he wanted to do it because we had a new football coach and to get the students interested in the new coach and the new program—I think a really promising program—and it’s just a way to welcome [Spack] to the Redbird community,” Spialek said. SGA believes that the mustache will aid in bringing school spirit to the stands during Homecoming Week in addition to being just a fun promotion. “[I think it will help invoke] school pride,” SGA Press Secretary Sheree Brewer said. “That’s what we’re most excited about. I think people are going to like something else to get involved in to help cheer on the Redbirds. It’s something else to unite all of us together and get excited about Homecoming.” Brewer and Spialek have said that the promotion is already a big hit around campus. “The athletics department has been promoting it through their Facebook,” Spialek said. “Students really seem interested in it. The marching band actually asked if they could get the ‘staches before hand because they won’t be able to be at the game to receive them then. “I think it’s something that could definitely become a tradition as long as Coach Spack is here.” Spack called the promotion an “honor” and a “privilege.” “I get a kick out of it,” the first year head coach said. “I’ve had a mustache for so long. We gambled [whether to shave it off or not] it at Purdue [when I was there] with my defenses there. They come out and they ask ‘what’s the gamble this week?’ It’s got to be a victory and then certain statistics like three sacks, three interceptions and a defensive touchdown or something. “They got it about three or four times in my 12 years there. I had to shave it off right after the game. That was the deal.” Spack said he has already made a bet with his team this year that he would shave it off if they reached their goal of winning the Missouri Valley Conference. Spack said he will have to do his best to put the distraction out of his head as he trots out to field for the first time on Saturday. “I’m going to try not to laugh,” he said. “It’s going to be great.” |
