Name: Eric, the Clubber of Seals
Homepage: Seal Clubbers
School: Colorado State University
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
School Colors: Green and Gold
School Mascot: Cam the Ram
Do outsiders “get” your mascot?: In 1946, the school held a contest, and the winner of said contest decided upon the ram. It should be noted that the school was known as Colorado A&M at that time (an Ag school), which makes the choice more logical. The name CAM then comes from the school initials (Colorado A&M). The actual Ram is taken care of by the most poorly named and suggestive group: the “Ram handlers”.
I don’t believe I ever heard it sung at a live game.
“I’m proud to be a CSU Ram, I said I’m proud to be a CSU Ram, I said …” is kind of the unofficial song/chant.
(Editor’s Note: We turned up the CSU Alma Mater as well)
Traditions: Is drinking your ass off a tradition? Because home games are often pretty much giant parties, and despite the fact that the school gave students tickets for free (yes, free) the open policy on boozing often was a much bigger draw than the games themselves. In 2003 the school adopted the “For-Ever-Green” campaign to essentially create tradition through through the cunning use of free tee-shirts, which was a by-product of a report I co-prepared for the Athletic Department in 2002 addressing Men’s Basketball Attendance (no fooling), and for some reason they really liked that part.
Geographical Features: The main feature of the Fort Collins campus is the Oval, which is the original part of campus and is the most scenic spot on campus. Other than that, there are no towers or really cool buildings, I would say that the “A” on the hill overlooking Hughes is the only other significant landmark on campus.
Architectural Features: Honestly, none. Lately they have been adding some artistic pieces around campus, but other than the original buildings in the Oval, the CSU campus is not known for its architecture.
Notable Alumni: The household names are probably Amy Van Dyken, former Stanford hoops coach Mike Montgomery and of course Joey Porter. Also 3 astronauts (kind of a big deal) and a few handfuls of NFL players.
Anything else we need to know?: Unfortunately the sports culture at CSU has never really developed into what it is at other schools, and despite the fact that tickets have been given away for free to full-time students, the Rams traditionally have had a hard time getting them to go in times when the teams are not doing so well. The crown jewel of CSU is its Vet-Med program, which is typically ranked in the top five in the U.S.
Want to talk about your school? Take the quick survey. We’ll dig up links & photos to illustrate your answers.
