Category Archives: FA21-Grp-06

Topic: Football Locker Room Traditions

“Senior Spotlight” (Jake Guidone)

Leave a reply
  1. General Info
    1. Locker room tradition
    2. Informant: John Dean
    3. Place of Origin: New Haven, CT
    4. Verbal and Customary Tradition

  1. Informant Data:
    1. John Dean is a twenty four year old male who plays football at Yale University. John was born in White Plains, New York, but was raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Xaverian Brothers High School, where he played both football and lacrosse, and was also named to the academic scholar athlete all-star team. Currently, John resides in New Haven, Connecticut, where he has attended Yale for the past five years. John is the current and only captain of the Yale football team, and has played football his entire life. 

  1. Contextual Data:
    1. John decided to attend Yale University out of high school, a wise decision both academically and athletically. He had received offers from bigger and better schools in terms of football, but decided that he wanted an Ivy League education. As a freshman, John was worried about college expectations, and what managing football and academics would entail. College, especially Ivy League institutions, can be overwhelming for new students at times. This is why Yale Football has a tradition that helps the younger players get a feel for college life, and it’s called “Senior Spotlight”

  1. Text/Tradition:
    1. “Senior Spotlight” is a week to week tradition that takes place during every Yale football season. The night before every game, a random senior is chosen to give a speech in front of the entire team in the Yale locker room. These speeches usually last around twenty to thirty minutes, and are about that seniors’ experience with the school, team, and/or their life. “It is meant to be an open conversation”. The significance of this tradition lies in the unity of the team. It gives everyone a senior’s point of view of what they went through. It also helps the young players, bringing them closer to the team as a whole. Yale does this every season to help better the culture of their team, and bring the new players up to speed on what it means to be a Yale football player. The origin of this tradition is unknown, and has been going on since John arrived as a freshman (and well before that), making this a piece of Yale folklore. 

Jersey Toss (Zack Bair)

Leave a reply
  1. General Info
    1. Locker room tradition
    2. Informant: Vittorio Tartara 
    3. Place of Origin: Red Bank, New Jersey
    4. Customary Lore
  2. Informant Data
    1. Vittorio is a 21-year-old senior student at Monmouth University in New Jersey. Prior to attending Monmouth as a student, Vittorio played football at Red Bank Catholic High School from 2014 until 2018. Vittorio is originally from Monroe Township, New Jersey. 
  3. Contextual Data
    1. Following Red Bank Catholic football games, the players throw all of their jerseys into a big pile in the middle of the locker room, which are later collected to be sent out to be cleaned. 
  4. Item
    1. Following every Red Bank Catholic High School football game, a large pile of dirty jerseys is made in the center of the locker room in order for the jerseys to be collected and cleaned later. After victories, the coach would come into the locker room and talk to the players. After the coach’s speech is finished and the staff leaves the locker room, older players on the team would convene and choose any player that had a particularly good game, regardless of age. Once decided, a group of players will grab the selected player and throw them into the pile of dirty jerseys and even more jerseys are thrown on top of the player. 
Red Bank Catholic (Red Bank, NJ) Athletics
  1. Informant comments
    1. “I’m not sure how it started but it was something we also looked forward to doing after every win. Obviously it sucks to be thrown into a pile of disgusting, used jerseys, it was also seen as an honor cause it meant the other players on the team acknowledged how well the selected player had done in the win.”
  2. Collector’s Name: Zack Bair

Locker Room Cleanup (Zack Bair)

Leave a reply
  1. General Information
    1. Informant: Conor Smith
    2. Place of Origin: New Haven, Connecticut
    3. Tradition, Customary Lore
  2. Informant Data
    1. Conor is currently a 21-year-old senior on the Yale University football team. Conor is originally from Red Bank, New Jersey and attended Red Bank Catholic High School where he played football. 
  3. Contextual Data 
    1. The Yale University football team based this tradition off of a similar tradition done by the New Zealand All Blacks, the most dominant international rugby team in history. Also, the Yale football team only elects a single captain per year, making it one of the highest honors bestowed upon any player on the team. 
  4. Item
    1. In the Yale Football team, there is a locker room tradition that after every practice or game, two players stay behind to help clean the locker room. The first player that stays behind every time is the captain of the team. The second player is one who is chosen by the coaches as someone who had a particularly good game or practice, or exhibited tremendous effort. 
Yale Welcomes 24 New Bulldogs to the Gridiron - Yale University
  1. Informants Comments
    1. “It is seen as the highest honor to be able to clean for the team which is why the captain also does it every day. It’s an honor in the sense that it is selfless and puts the team before yourself.”
  2. Collector’s Name: Zack Bair

Locker Room Prayer (Zack Bair)

Leave a reply
  1. General Information
    1. Informant: MJ Wright
    2. Place of Origin: New York City, New York
    3. Verbal Lore
  2. Informant Data
    1. MJ Wright is currently a 20-year-old junior on the Fordham University football team. MJ is originally from Freehold, New Jersey. MJ played high school football at Red Bank Catholic High School.
  3. Contextual Data
    1. Fordham University, a Jesuit university founded in 1841, puts great emphasis and importance in the religious aspect of the university. This religious emphasis carries over onto the Fordham football team in their locker room prior to games with the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.
  4. Item
    1. The Lord’s Prayer is a common prayer, recited at almost every Christian mass. The prayer goes:
    2. Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

forever. Amen.

  1. Informant Comments
    1. The religious aspect of the university is still very important within the football team. This is something I’m used to having attended a Catholic high school where we had a similar tradition.”
  2. Collector’s Name: Zack Bair

“Ten Thousand Men of Harvard” (Zack Bair)

Leave a reply
  1. General Info
    1. Verbal Lore
    2. Place of Origin: Cambridge, Massachusetts
    3. Informant: Nasir Darnell
  2. Informant Data
    1. Nasir is currently a 22-year-old graduate senior on the Harvard University football team. Nasir is originally from Matawan, New Jersey and attended Red Bank Catholic High School.
  3. Contextual Data
    1. The song “Ten Thousand Men of Harvard” originated at Harvard in the year 1918. Composed by Charrles Putnam. The song is generally sung by the Harvard Glee Club at its annual joint concert with the Yale Glee Club prior to the famous Harvard-Yale rivalry game.  
  4. Item
    1. Just as the Harvard Glee Club sings “ten Thousand Men of Harvard” before games, the Harvard football team also sings the famous song following wins. The lyrics go:

Ten Thousand Men of Harvard want victory today

For they know that ov’r old Eli

Fair Harvard holds sway.

So then we’ll conquer all old Eli’s men,

And when the game ends we’ll sing again:

Ten thousand men of Harvard gained vict’ry today.

  1. Informants comments 
    1. “‘ Ten Thousand Men of Harvard’ holds an important place with not just the football team singing it in the locker room after wins, but with the entirety of the Harvard community. I remember when the band performed the song in Harvard Yard my freshman year, that was my first exposure to it.” 
  2. Collector’s Name: Zack Bair

UPenn Jersey Switch (Zack Bair)

Leave a reply
  1. General Info
    1. Place of Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    2. Informant: Jaden Key
    3. Senior Tradition, Customary Lore
  2. Informant Data
    1. Jaden Key is a 20-year-old male attending the University of Pennsylvania. Jaden is currently a junior on the UPenn football team. Jaden is originally from Neptune, New Jersey, and attended Red Bank Catholic High School. 
  3. Contextual Data
    1. Senior football players typically have some sort of tradition to celebrate the final practice at their school. 
  4. Item
    1. On the final practice of the season for the UPenn football team, senior players will trade practice jerseys with other seniors just for the day. Many times, smaller players with the smallest jersey sizes will trade with the biggest players on the team, adding a comedic element to the tradition. 
Quakers apt to resume championship-winning ways | Penn Today
  1. Informant Comment
    1. “It’s a tradition that has been at UPenn way before I got here and most likely will continue after. I’m looking forward to participating in the jersey swap next year on my final practice when I am a senior next year.” 
  2. Collector’s Name: Zack Bair

Faith and Honor Held High (Donald Carty

Leave a reply

Title: Faith and Honor Held High

General Information about Item:

  • Verbal Lore; Pre-Game Prayer
  • Place of Origin: Dallas, TX
  • Informant: Ben Taber

Informant Data:

  • Ben Taber is a 22-year-old male. He is currently a member of the class of 2022 at Colorado State University. Ben is from Dallas, Texas, where he played football at the Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD).

Contextual Data:

  • ESD is a religious school that tries to instill Episcopalian values in their students. Students at ESD attend chapel services daily. These religious values extend beyond the chapel services, they are also present in the classroom and on the athletic fields. Coaches at ESD make sure their athletes compete with faith, honor, and sportsmanship in mind.

Item:

  • In the locker room, immediately before every game, the players at ESD say a prayer together, led by one of the team captains. The text of the prayer is as follows:

Lord as we walk through the Valley of Life

We ask for a chance that it’s fair

A chance to do the right

A chance to do or dare

And if we should win

Let it be by the code

With Faith and Honor held high

And if we should lose

Let us stand by the road

And watch as the winners walk by

(*Voices escalate to a yell*)

A TEAM THAT CAN’T BE BEAT

WON’T BE BEAT

CAN’T HIT, CAN’T WIN

AMEN

  • This prayer is meant to bring the players closer to God, remind them of the values of the school they are representing, and get them excited to compete. The author of this prayer is unknown, and this tradition has been in place at ESD for at least 10 years.

Collector’s Name: Donald Carty

Tags/Keywords:

  • Verbal Lore
  • Prayer
  • Locker Room Traditions
  • Football