I am writing this letter in response to the Aug. 31 fiasco wherein the Navy beat our Mustangs 34 – 7. The four Navy jet fighter planes flying over the Ford Stadium just before the kickoff of the Navy game, at taxpayer expense, was an awesome display of our Naval air power, which was promptly transferred to the Navy football team, which administered our football team, and its new head coach a 34 – 7 “schelacking.”
Our only response to the jet fly over was to set off a puny fireworks display at the south end of the stadium which, if designed to set the grass on fire, was the only success of the day. In response to the jet fly over, the cheerleaders should have immediately had the 25,000 fans and students give a thunderous demonstration of our traditional yell – “Yea red, yea blue, yea Mustangs!” – and should have continued with yells, chants and songs during the game, invoking the assembled to show support for our team, who were playing their best. This did not happen, and we let the team down because we failed to demonstrate our life spirit, which is why we were all at the game in the first place.
Why did we fail the team and ourselves, when we were 25,000 strong, excluding a few Navy people who made more noise in support of their team than we did ours? It was because the cheerleaders did not step forward and lead us in the demonstration of our life spirit, which is the least we should expect.
We have a new stadium with apparently an excellent sound system. We have a new football coach and a great team which will ultimately be successful, loyal and eager students, alumni and fans, and a large screen at the south end of the stadium where the intended yell, chant or song can be displayed for all to participate. It is the cheerleaders’ ‘responsibility to lead us in doing this and they can do it if they will simply step forward and perform, beginning with a pep rally before the game at the Doak Walker Plaza and during the games.
All should read the excellent editorial in the Aug. 30 Daily Campus, which sets out school spirit as being the responsibility of the student. Yet the students and the fans cannot demonstrate at the athletic events their school spirit without the mechanism of the cheerleaders leading them in the yells at the games, the pep rallies and at the yell practices.
To my knowledge, Texas Tech does not have a jet air force. Even so, those cowboys and cowgirls from the Llano Esta Cato will be down here this Saturday to try to do to us what the Navy did. Let’s show Texas Tech and all our opponents, under the direction of the cheerleaders, what real “in your face” school spirit is all about, which is supporting our team and its “in your face,” all-out effort to beat all of our opponents, starting with Texas Tech.
J. Redwine Patterson and I.T. Hurst
Cheerleaders, 1947
P.S. If the cheerleaders fail and refuse to step forward and lead us in our yells, chants and songs, I suggest the Student Senate hold a student body election on the office of head cheerleader, whose responsibility will be to establish and perpetuate our school spirit, and who will be responsible to the student body for carrying out such responsibilities.
