Denver, Colorado - October 26th, 1984 - DU was in the middle of a 4-0 throttling of Colorado College when the game was delayed for over 30 minutes. The raw chickens had already come raining down on the ice after DU's first goal of the game from the student section, but this was something bigger. Several SAE Fraternity members had crawled up in the catwalks and released a giant 15 foot banner (above). .
The game was delayed while the DU Maintenance Staff got to work on removing the banner. The picture above was published in the 1984-85 DU Yearbook and through the miracle of the internet, LetsGoDU brings you the details.
23 comments:
rivalries were so much better back in the day.
Having some skinny armed puke walking around with a comic book picture and a coonskin cap is hardly the stuff of mythic proportions
- AspenLake
Truly one of the greatest moments in the history of the rivalry. Players and coaches on both teams and even the referees were literally doubled over laughing while the arena crew had to scramble to remove the banner.
Never heard the old barn so loud, either....what a moment!
OMG! HAHA that's great!
I remember this moment, I may have only been 9 years old but this banner is definitely one of the premier happenings ever at a DU game. Nice get on the pic!!!
CHRIS
I was such a surreal moment. As I recall it took a long time to get someone up there and get it down. There were many catwalks in the old DU Arena that the maintenance staff wouldn't go on because they were too dangerous or too old. What can you expect from a building that had its roof collapse years before this sign was put up.
just wondering about the chickens?? any story behind the tradition?
Not 100% about the chickens, but I suspect it had to do with the Swans at the Broadmoor in the old days. Dead chickens = swans.
I was there....Row 1 Seat 1 (underneath all the mis-thrown fowl and SQUID from the student balcony) The picture does not do justice to how HUGE the banner was. Funniest thing I ever saw in live sports....thx for the memories DG.
A few more notes on how the banner.
was unfurled so that no-one would be caught in the act...
An SAE member told me that the banner was put into place the arena rafters night before the game. The fraternity members rigged a 250 foot long piece of fishing line from the banner at the North end to the student section at the south end of the arena. With a gentle tug from an SAE member in the student section in the south end, at the appointed time, the banner unfolded "remotley' from 225 feet away.
Brilliant.
There is no brightness through obscurity in the shadow of fraternal pranks.
The chickens did start because of the swans at The Broadmoor, at least that was what I was told. I remember a bunch of us brought a squid one night. When we tossed it from the balcony, it never hit the ice but landed on the section below us. Of course, Campus rent-a-cop escorted us out of the building. Magness arena is way too civilized!
Classic! Remember this well. Whatever happened to the mischief at the games? Hey Damien, were you the guy who did the shoot out and won a luxury trip, for getting a puck through a 4 inch hole at the net? I want to say it was like 1986/87 season?
Now all they give away is free coupons to fast food restaurants and maybe a pom pom or two.
Yep, I won a trip for two to Hawaii. That was the good news.
The year before, Jeff Lamb's dad won a sweet Audi, so I could have won a car, but my timing wasn't as good as my shot. :-)
I was heading to Australia for a semester abroad for work experience anyway, so I gave the trip to the girl who had handed me the ticket for the puck shoot. She gave me something like $250-500 and I bought some golf clubs.
We both won.
DG, never realized you had such an accurate shot. You need to give Ruegs some tips since he keeps hitting the post.
Awesome! I've seen this picture many times, but I don't think I've heard the story behind it.
I remember last year seeing several of the CC inmates wearing "DU Sucks" T-shirts. They can't even be original, how pathetic
Unfortunately, the numbers don't lie. This "rivalry" is purely traditional now, and merely a war of trash-talking. The Tigers just cannot compete at Denver's level.... and they've been that way for years and years. It's almost as if CC is a D-III school nowadays. For a competitive, respectful rivalry.... look to UW, UND, UM, etc....... but don't expect earth-shattering hockey competition with this series anymore. I know that probably hurts the Alumni of both schools to hear - but facts are facts. This is becoming ridiculous. Imagine a pee wee team facing the Avalanche.... that's not too far off from reality, folks. CC just plain fizzled out
I'm a huge DU fan and hate CC with all my heart, but let's not start talking about how CC can't compete at Denver's level until DU can start beating them on a regular basis.
Exactly. CC has had the Gold Pan for over three years years now. They have owned us pretty continously since the 2005 National Semifinal when when we destoyed them.
CC is the 15th ranked team in America, and DU will need to play its best hockey to beat them.
How sweet will it be to:
(1) Be presented the McNaughton with CC in the house.
(2) Win the Gold Pan back
(3) Possibly knock CC out of the National playoffs
See, as I have always said, CC sucks!!!!!!!
Lets bring back the tradition of chickens after the first DU goal!
UNH still gets to throw out the cod.... Lets make it happen.
Fuck this cc love-affair bullshit.
They suck and you schmucks no it...
*know
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