'05 NT Daily Article on "Boomer the Cannon"

[FirefightnRick]

Boomer Brings Bang To Campus....

I never saw this article even though I contributed to it with an interview and provided the photo to the daily.

As many of you know I have researched for a while now in hopes to write an updated version of Boomers' history to go into the universities tradition page and in the media guide. If you'll look on the link below, or check out your media guide if you have one or check the "Traditions" page on meangreensports.com, you'll see that from looking how boring and small the mentionings of our traditions are and that there are no photos provided, that we are not very proud of them, or so it would seem? This drives me insane and it's such a simple fix that could be another brick in trying to build and promote our unique school? So I've tried to help in getting it updated on "Boomer" and recently submitted my research to the AD dept and am now working on getting it into Wikipedia's encyclopedia page for NT. The current history has Boomer dating back to 1970 but the metalergy classes in which it's barrel was to have originated from dates from the late 50's to the middle 60's, plus I have spoken to several of you who remember it prior to the 1970 season, so I'm referring to it's origin as the "late 1960's". The rest of it's history regarding it's name origin and all has been handed down to me when I became involved in 1988. I was going to submit that same photo from the daily but I have the original in color, somewhere and will submit that instead. Not sure how, but I would also like to add to the fact that "Boomer" is a unique type of gun used at college events because it is a true muzzleloading smoothbore that you just don't see anymore. I'm just not sure how to integrate that into the history yet? There are other places on the traditions page that needs updating. For instance, with bonfire, it needs to mention that it's the largest annual hand built bonfire in Texas, and the Spririt bell currently in use is an exact duplicating match to that of the original so the weights shouldnt differ. Plus it's one of, if not the largest motorized bell used at collegiate events today. To me, we just don't sell ourselves enough or speak of our traditions as "Special". A few years ago New Mexico State got a mention in a greatest college traditions tribute in Sports Illustrated because they use a large bell at their football games. I've seen it and it aint shit compared to ours, let alone motorized and used in other campus events and parades? But no one ever knows about that because it's kept a secret, there are few if any photos of it and on game days, it's kept back behind the damn stadium where no one can see it, especially from a cameras' view during televised games?

Our traditions, our North Texas traditions, set us apart from the rest and make the college experience what it's suppose to be. We should be singing them from the highest mountains whenever we can.

If you have never seen it, here is Wikipedia's page on NT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Texas

Rick

Edited June 10, 2006 by FirefightnRick

[SilverEagle]

Sand-casted by metal technology students on campus in 1959, the original tube was mounted on a tow- behind trailer that had been the rear frame and axle of a Willis army jeep.

Looks like your research made it into the"W.E.".

With all due respect to the Swartzs', I think that the victory bell should have been mounted on a trailer. When you do that, you can "potentially" take it to some out of town games, and you can also pull it around campus whenever you want to have a spontaneous spirit event.

When I went to North Texas games during the 60's I mainly remember the spirit bell. I also remember the cannon, but my strongest memories are of the bell being pulled up and down the track after each score. Even if the bell was on a trailer now, pulling it up and down the track would be very difficult because of all the extra "stuff" in and around the two benches.

However (if it was on a trailer), it could be located in front of the student section/band. Also, since the original trailer was the rear frame/axle of a Willis Army Jeep, a restored Willis Jeep would make an excellent "on-campus-game-day" tow vehicle.

In any case, I think that a "story board" needs to be made to be displayed by the cannon and bell during game day, so that the casual student can learn about these great North Texas traditions.

Because, you see, one of the reasons that the "casual" student remains "casual" is because they think that North Texas doesn't have any traditions.

As a tradition, the Bell goes all the way back to the beginnings of the school.

[FirefightnRick]

I got the explanation for muzzloader in there, y'all let me know what you think? And the reason this is important because as a true black powder muzzloader it separates itself from most of the other cannon's used at college games, making "Boomer" unique. For example, tU and a&m's cannon's are breach loading, loaded from the rear and use blank shells. tU's "Old Smokey" isn't actually a cannon at all but rather a very expensive cap gun that they had made for them way back. I think it went through a restoration as well back in the 80's? Can't remember when. Another school that used a breach loader was Sam Houston, at least they did when I last visited there. One school that did still use a muzzleloader was K State but it is a 1/8th scale gun. Cool thing about that when I was last there was that K State could get theirs to fire Purple smoke? I didn't go to the disaster last year but maybe someone else here did and can tell me if they still use that same small gun?

I'll try and get a photo uploaded next.

Rick

Edited June 10, 2006 by FirefightnRick

[Bryan316]

However (if it was on a trailer), it could be located in front of the student section/band. Also, since the original trailer was the rear frame/axle of a Willis Army Jeep, a restored Willis Jeep would make an excellent "on-campus-game-day" tow vehicle.

In any case, I think that a "story board" needs to be made to be displayed by the cannon and bell during game day, so that the casual student can learn about these great North Texas traditions.

Because, you see, one of the reasons that the "casual" student remains "casual" is because they think that North Texas doesn't have any traditions. 

I think the Jeep has been talked about. I don't know how far along the talking got, but the idea is out there. As far as the bell goes, as long as the AD says it's too heavy for the track, what can you do? And yes, we've all seen what was on it when the turf was replaced.

I haven't seen the videos for this year's Get Connected session, so I don't know how many traditions are worked into it. There is the video on the website and a poster/foldout that has the traditions on it, though.

[mini_green_cooper]

Sand-casted by metal technology students on campus in 1959, the original tube was mounted on a tow- behind trailer that had been the rear frame and axle of a Willis army jeep.

Looks like your research made it into the"W.E.".

With all due respect to the Swartzs', I think that the victory bell should have been mounted on a trailer. When you do that, you can "potentially" take it to some out of town games, and you can also pull it around campus whenever you want to have a spontaneous spirit event.

When I went to North Texas games during the 60's I mainly remember the spirit bell. I also remember the cannon, but my strongest memories are of the bell being pulled up and down the track after each score.  Even if the bell was on a trailer now, pulling it up and down the track would be very difficult because of all the extra "stuff" in and around the two benches.

However (if it was on a trailer), it could be located in front of the student section/band. Also, since the original trailer was the rear frame/axle of a Willis Army Jeep, a restored Willis Jeep would make an excellent "on-campus-game-day" tow vehicle.

In any case, I think that a "story board" needs to be made to be displayed by the cannon and bell during game day, so that the casual student can learn about these great North Texas traditions.

Because, you see, one of the reasons that the "casual" student remains "casual" is because they think that North Texas doesn't have any traditions. 

As a tradition, the Bell goes all the way back to the beginnings of the school.

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there is a trailer for the tug. we donated that as well. it can haul the model A or the bell. we understand about the trailer issue and we did look into that as an option as well. i think the main reason they chose the tug was safety and ease of driving it around without needed yet another vehicle that may or may not be available. We wanted to make it as easy as possible to get the bell to at least our home games without someone saying "we don't have any way of moving it." Now the only excuses can be lost keys, won't start or no one shows up to drive it. But, good point about transportation and again, that's why we donated a trailor that you can drive it onto.

[FirefightnRick]

there is a trailer for the tug. we donated that as well. it can haul the model A or the bell. we understand about the trailer issue and we did look into that as an option as well. i think the main reason they chose the tug was safety and ease of driving it around without needed yet another vehicle that may or may not be available. We wanted to make it as easy as possible to get the bell to at least our home games without someone saying "we don't have any way of moving it." Now the only excuses can be lost keys, won't start or no one shows up to drive it. But, good point about transportation and again, that's why we donated a trailor that you can drive it onto.

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Even though I had thought of the same considerations that Bill has mentioned above at first, it's turned out for the better as Susan stated. Plus, having the bell motorized makes it one very unique vehicle ever seen, or should be seen at a college football venue. Very unique indeed.

But the fact that this is still a concern, that of the Bell not in view at the games because the department won't allow it to cross the track to get behind the endzones, is the problem I see us having when it comes to saving and promoting our traditions. When I first got the opportunity last season I discussed this problem with the bell with RV and he stated he had not even heard of it being a problem, that at the time of me asking it was the first he had ever heard of it. I had already asked the asst AD of facilities about it and got the same answer mentioned above about weight, that it's (the bell) too heavy. Of course I pointed out to the asst that other vehicles much heavier than the bell have been allowed onto the track and he immediately denied it ever happened. So I emailed him the aerial photos that KingDL took of a 3/4 ton pickup pulling a trailer load of other equipment around the track and never got a response back. At the time, the new track was a little over 2 weeks old. I have pointed out to all officials it applies to that since the new track has gone in they have allowed a 10,000 lb tractor equipment onto our track, a 12,000 lb ambulance onto the track at every home game and more than once allowed a 20,000 lb Peterbilt tractor semi onto it for advertising reasons. I have offered to pay for 3/4 inch plywood to be laid across the track in one spot so that there would be zero concern that the weight of the bell (6,000 lbs) would harm the track as it travels across it to the infield and have recieved no response back from that as well.

You know, what else can you do to help make things better? We hear about how alumni at NT don't get involved but that just isn't the case. I get tired of fighting this crap. It makes me want to walk away some times and never buy season tickets again. It's such a simple, easy fix the AD dept could do that sends a message to alumni that they are appreciated? I'll never understand it. It's a wonder we have active alumni who get involved in anything at all or any traditions to speak of for that matter?

The lack of appreciation shown to the Swartz family(bell, Model A, Cannon) for the countless hours and thousands of dollars they have contributed to this program is truly a microcosm to the answer as to why we can't find corporate funding for a new stadium, and as to why we don't have enough money contributing alumni at the numbers required to demand changes when they need to be made.

Maybe that last sentence is the point, afterall?

Rick

Edited June 11, 2006 by FirefightnRick