The Cameron Crazies, the Grateful Red, the Crimson Chaos — all over the country, universities have coined their own names for their student sections. Southern Utah’s? The Thundercrew.
Louder than the speakers, louder than the band, the Thundercrew fills up the America First Event Center and the Eccles Coliseum on game days. They are the bulk of the Thunderbird faithful. Though Southern Utah’s attendance rates are lower than other Division I schools, enough students band together to spell “Southern Utah University Thunderbirds” across their chests at football games, lining up in the front row.
How do they do it? The Thundercrew club, of course.
“We have a group chat that anyone can join,” Thundercrew club president Riley Sager said. “We talk about upcoming games and what we should wear.”
Levi Blad, the current vice president of spirit and community for the SUU Student Association, also plays a big part in the organization.
“As VP of school spirit and community, I really only do behind-the-scenes work for the student section,” Blad said. “I work with the event staff to coordinate any special student section needs or plans, like if they are storming the court or doing giveaways.”
SUUSA does a great deal to help out, but Sager has been one of the faces of the student section since his sophomore year. Following in the footsteps of former Thundercrew club president Allan Ahanonu, he showed enough school spirit for the title to fall into his lap. From Murray, Utah, he never expected to end up at SUU, let alone become an important part of campus culture.
“I couldn’t tell you where all my school spirit came from,” Sager said. “I started going to games and made friends there, and in the years coming I got the position I’m in now as student section president.”
Since that first game, Sager has been hooked.
“There are very few things that will make it so I don’t show up to a game. School comes first if it has to,” he said. “But you’ll catch me there pretty much no matter what.”
Even with so many athletic events under his belt, Sager can recall them. One of his favorite home games came in January 2023, when the SUU men’s basketball team beat the visiting in-state rivals of Utah Valley University 79-67. The Thundercrew rushed the court as time expired.
“That was the loudest I’d ever heard the America First Event Center,” Sager said. “The AFEC is where I have the most fun. It’s a pretty legendary place to me.”
Another game that sticks out to him was when both basketball teams competed in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Las Vegas in the 2023 postseason. SUU provided a shuttle service to and from the tournament for students to attend.
The women’s team became the conference champions and punched their very first ticket to the NCAA March Madness Tournament. That moment may have been the highlight of SUU sports last year. And the Thundercrew got to see it in person.
“I’m in the stands, confetti falling from the ceiling, and we’re all yelling the school song,” he recalled.
Last year, accompanying the Thundercrew, the SUU Sound Machine Basketball Band was born. They sit adjacent to the student section in the AFEC and on the visitor’s side in the Eccles Coliseum, where they play “The Great SUU” fight song and others that are easy for fans to sing along to.
Along with the student section and the cheer and dance teams, the Sound Machine contributes to the game day atmosphere and fan experience.
“I love the band. It’s awesome. It brings an energy to the AFEC that wasn’t there before,” Sager said. “The louder you are at a sporting event, the bigger your advantage can be.”
When the band isn’t playing, they become part of the Thundercrew, participating in every cheer and chant.
“They’re talented musicians, but when it’s time to put the trumpet down, they’re out there screaming their heads off just like we are,” Sager said.
The student-athletes themselves find a benefit from the Thundercrew’s presence and their unconditional support.
“I feel as if it’s best when the crowd is more involved. It’s what gets the game going in my opinion,” Zion Young, the starting point guard for the men’s basketball team, said. “The louder the crowd is, the better the atmosphere becomes.”
Sager has a certain appreciation for the athletes and what they do. “They’re kids just like us, and they’re DI athletes,” he said. “I think that’s a huge accomplishment.”
Student-athletes and sports aside, the Thundercrew is a group that is essential to the SUU experience. It isn’t an exclusive club; it’s a community. All students are welcome and encouraged to participate in the tradition.
“Not everyone cares about sports, and that’s fine. But I think sports teams unify a university towards a common goal. It’s fun to get out there and scream and yell ‘Go T-Birds!’” Sager said. “There’s plenty of clubs on campus, and there’s a bunch of weirdos like me that like to yell at sports. There’s a spot for everybody.”
“I truly believe school spirit is one of the most important things to have at really any point in your life,” Blad added. “It can be a life changer.”
The best way to get involved, as Sager puts it, is to “show up, get loud, get crazy.”
Author: Anden Garfield
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Kale Nelson
eic@suunews.net
This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of the University Journal.
