Old Homecoming Traditions

As Oklahoma Christian University approaches homecoming weekend, both students and alumni alike reminisce about the past. The parade, the musical, and the Homecoming chapel are just a few of the traditions on campus. The Talon interviewed a few alumni faculty about their memories of their homecomings as students, what times were like, and their favorite highlights from those recollections.

“I attended [Oklahoma Christian] from 2001 to 2004, graduated in the spring of 2004, and I graduated with a business degree with a minor in interior design,” Amy Roberts, the vice president for admissions, said.

“I really loved the social life when I was here; I had a lot of fun with people. I was in Gamma Rho, [there was] a student organization for alumni, I don’t even know the name of it; it was like Alumni Council or something like that. So [I] served on that, I was on that committee for three years, and we just helped with lots of events and just helped the alumni office do any kind of activities on campus. So homecoming was actually a big one that we planned,” Roberts said.

Dr. Sara Alcon, the chair of natural sciences and the associate professor of biology, attended Oklahoma Christian from 2003 to 2007, graduating with a bachelor’s in biochemistry. As a student, most of her campus life memories came from being a part of Lambda Chi Zeta.

“I don’t think homecoming was a competition when I was here, the way it is now… When I was here, you, like, made a float, you did the parade, and there was an alumni breakfast… There also might have been Homecoming chapel…We didn’t have homecoming directors. Then, just the vice president of our club was in charge of homecoming.” Alcon said.

Rick Odell, the associate director of church relations, attended Oklahoma Christian from 1980 to 1984, where he studied mass communication, radio, and television.

“I was a member of Delta Gamma Sigma, and I was also involved in [the] student government association. We called it Student Senate then, and I was actually president of [the] senior class,” Odell said.

Some old traditions have disappeared over the years. One of these was a bonfire night near where some of the sports fields are currently.

“We used to have a big bonfire on Friday night out in the field. I think it’s where the softball field is now, and it was a pretty big deal, a really tall, giant bonfire,” Odell said.

“A couple of things I know don’t happen anymore: there used to be the bonfire on Friday night…it was tasked to the freshmen to protect the bonfire. So Thursday night the bonfire was put together, and the freshmen had to stay up all night to try to protect it. So the upper class wouldn’t come, and like, I don’t know what they were going to do. It really was just fun,” Roberts said.

Then, every fall, the basketball kickoff game is hosted during homecoming weekend. Over time, these games have changed, losing some characters that used to frequent the scene.

“One of the traditions we don’t do anymore, which I wish someone would bring back, is something called the nine noises. They were guys, nine of them obviously, and I don’t really know the significance of the number nine, but they all had overalls and had big nines on their overalls, and [Oklahoma Christian] t-shirts underneath. They would lead some cheers. They weren’t cheerleaders, per se, but they were just kind of guys that were super hyped up about everything, and they would really get the crowd going,” Odell said.

“They had certain cheers and things that they would do, and they always held a butcher paper sign that they would write some funny saying that had something to do with the mascot of the other team or something like that and carry it around right before tip-off and things. And then they would, you know, talk to the refs and talk to the players on the other team while the game was going on. It was pretty fun,” Odell said.

Now, as faculty members working on the same campus they graduated from, homecoming has taken on some different tones.

“I go to the alumni breakfast for our club to help support because I’m the sponsor and I know them. And I go more as a current sponsor of the club, as opposed to an [alumnus] of the club… I’m already here on campus, and so then I get to see people that are coming back a year or two after they graduate, and I get to connect with them and catch up and see how life is and all those different things. So that’s a fun time,” Alcon said.

“I would just encourage any current students, if they’re friends or family or parents or alums, encourage them to come back. I mean, it’s great to see people that you have college experience in common with, and homecoming is just a really awesome thing that I think [Oklahoma Christian] does well,” Odell said.