A defensive motto was shared with the student body to build a deeper connection with the team. The Bison football team hoped to keep their momentum after their fall 2017 playoff run. Following an 8-3 regular season record and a trip to the NCAA Division II national semifinals, the players and staff recognized the opportunity to further student involvement. For many years, the Bison defense used "Code Black" as their motto. The aspects of Code Black were passion, accountability focus, warriormentality, never panic and finish. According to Defensive Line Coach Tre'von Biglow, the motto represented a way to play football and a way oflife. "If you look at all the aspectsof Code Black, it's something that everyone at Harding tries to live," Biglow aid. Biglow initiated the idea of sharing the meaning of Code Black with the entire studentbody and with the support ofCampus Activities Board Director Logan Lighr and Director of Digital Media Hannah Owens developed a social media campaign to aid in this goal. Light recognized the chance to create another avenue of engagement. "We were looking for an opporruniry to get [the football team] in front of students and introduce them to Harding football," Light said. Light and Biglow worked together to develop Stampede,a pep rally to achieve this goal. "[On] most campuses, there's alway that divide between the football team and the student body, and we're not about that," Biglow said. "We're about reaching out and finding ways to engage our players with the student body, and that was kind of what the pep rally was about.' Stampedeallowed students to compete in various games, watch mock plays and learn chants. According to Light, the event was originally going to take place in First SecurityStadium; Stampedeinstead took place on Thursday, Sept.6, 2018, in the Rhodes-Reaves Field House due to rain. Biglow and Light expressed an excitement for further opportunities with the Code Black campaign and Stampedepep rally. "What we're starting to do with the pep rally is, I think is something that we'll do again next year," Light said. "We wanted to reach some crowdengagement, so there are some chants that we want to repeat from year to year. That starts at the beginning of the year by reaching them, and then hopefully, we do this [for] a couple years in a row, and it becomes what's expected, and we have studentswho are engaging during the game in that way." Junior wide receiver Taylor Thompson expressed the impact that studentinvolvement had on a player's mentality and the game atmosphere. "When you have a crowd behind you, especially the students, ... and you get to share in that with them, it really becomes more than just yourself," Thompson said. "When you have a connection with the people that are there with you, it really makes a big difference." story by Emma Aly 226
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==