Sports

Game day from the perspective of the Grizz Gang

Dakota Brecht, Staff Reporter|December 5, 2017

The Grizz Gang shows their spirit during a tailgate.

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Oakland Takes on Michigan State at Little Caesars Arena on December 16

On December 16 the Golden Grizzlies will travel to the brand new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit to host the Michigan State spartans in a highly anticipated game. Grizz Gang will be in full force at Little Caesars Arena and they plan on having a larger student section there than ever before.

The Spartans are ranked third in the nation currently but that does not deter die hard fans like Secretary of Grizz Gang John Hassenzahl from keeping an optimistic point of view for this game.

“I just want to say one thing, Michigan State better be on upset alert because once that game starts we will get that place rocking” Hassenzahl said.

President Jake Wolok also has high expectations for the game and here is what he had to say on what the student section will look like at LCA.

“It will have our announcers, Kevin will be on the mic, the lights will go off and we will have our phones out lighting up the arena and it’s just gonna be a lot of fun” Wolok said.

Want to become a Grizz Gang Member? First you have to learn the top-five chants so you are ready for game day. (Per Austin Davis)

Let’s start off with an easy one. When one of the Golden Grizzlies players go to the line for a free throw raise your hands above your head to form an “O” with your arms. When the player makes the free throw bring your arms down in a swift manner to form a “U” and then clap.
When an opposing player goes to the line to attempt two free throws and they miss the second, Austin Davis will yell “Hey nice shot, do it again!” and then the rest of the student section continues to chant “Do it again” over and over until the second shot.
When a player from the opposing team gets called for a travel PA announcer Kevin Beers will start the Grizz Gang off by saying “That’s traveling and you can’t do that!”. The student section will then answer back by chanting “you can’t do that” over and over again.
The classic “Let’s go Oakland” is an iconic chant that doesn’t just come from the student section, but resonates from the entire fan base at the O’rena. All you have to is chant “Let’s go Oakland” and then clap to the beat.
When an opposing player airballs a shot you have to let that player know that. Every time that player touches the ball you have to scream “airball” at him as loud as you can until he makes his next shot.

The one final thing you must do to become a successful member of Grizz Gang is to be as loud as physically possible and make the game even harder for the opposing team.

In the Horizon League there is one student section that reigns supreme over all other schools. The Grizz Gang at Oakland University is by far the loudest and best, student section in the Horizon League and they have even received recognition on the national level. This student organization is something that has grown tremendously over the years and has reached new heights this year.

Grizz Gang has been around for longer than the Division I era at Oakland University, but it was formally founded as a student organization in 2008 by Anthony Gallina.

“When we started Grizz Gang, some of my friends and I were really passionate about it like the students here today” Gallina said.

The board members have put in countless hours of work to set up programs with giveaways and tailgates before home games to get the student body fired up for Oakland Athletics. One person in particular, Jake Wolok, has had a huge impact on the development of these events through Grizz Gang.

“We just encourage student support on campus and make sure that they not only come to the games but events before the games like tailgates or giveaways” Wolok said.

Some of the events Grizz Gang has put on this year include tailgates, tabling in different places around campus and setting up their first ever VIP program.

The VIP program includes a t-shirt and customized lanyard which permits admittance into the O’rena 30 minutes before the rest of the fans. Members also get a ticket to the Oakland vs. Michigan State game at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 16.

Neal Ruhl, the voice of the Golden Grizzlies, has had the pleasure of listening to the [Grizz Gang] for years now, and he knows they have a huge impact on the atmosphere in the O’rena.

“As somebody who goes to every single gym in the Horizon League, it’s not close, there’s no competition to them (Grizz Gang) at all,” Ruhl said. “They are far and away the best student section in the Horizon League and that is a fact, not an opinion.”

Jeff Konya, the Director of Athletics at Oakland University could not agree more.

“They are a huge part of our game atmosphere, their support is invaluable and you see the passion, it’s just tremendous” Konya said.

Another iconic voice for the Golden Grizzlies is PA announcer Kevin Beers, who has seen the growth of Grizz Gang and loves the call and response he can have with the student section.

“That interaction is just awesome,” Beers said. The essence of college athletics is the student section and anything we can do to get that student section going just adds to the experience.”

The Grizz Gang pride themselves on being one of the loudest student sections in the area and as long as these students bleed Black and Gold for their Golden Grizzlies, the O’rena will remain one of the toughest places to play in the country.

“It’s not just a student section, it’s more than that, it’s a community on campus” Wolok said.