Here they come: Wooly Bullies

You’ve probably never heard of it, though without a doubt, you’ve seen it before.

It just recently changed its name, just like USF changed its conference.

Like a growing reptile, the Student Bulls Club is shedding its skin and becoming larger. It’s learning to accept its new identity as a spirit club with a football team that has a chance to make a bowl game in the future.

Now known as The Bullies and headed by perennial Bulls fan and Bullie President Chris Lau – the guy who’s well over 6-foot-6 seen at almost every home game USF has to offer – claims that it’s not just a club, it’s a place to make new friends, acquaintances and, of course, have fun between those boring classes.

“It’s fun,” Lau said. “It really is. It just gets you involved with USF athletics. I mean, if you’re a freshman and have no one to go to the games with, this is how you make them – by joining the club and going to games, from football to soccer.”

Of course, this group is used to promoting school spirit throughout the student body and helping fill those empty seats that stand out at every home game. But for a fee of $25, any student can join the club that Lau states “gives you three different USF shirts and entry to specific game and membership seating.” Of the fee, $10 goes to support the Stampede Athletic Fund that supports more than 400 student athletes and awards members priority points, which go toward getting premium seating at certain games.

This weekend, however, Penn State’s spirit club, in affiliation with the Nittwits, has the Beaver Blizzard, because they encourage everyone to wear exactly the same thing on game day: all white.Lau, on the other hand, doesn’t like that idea.

“I’m not really down with everyone wearing the same thing,” he said. “I don’t think that looks good. We’ll have nicer polo-like shirts that the members get. I’m just not a big fan of that whole white thing.”

Current member Mathew Ratner, who also interns as an assistant sports information director for the athletic department, loves the Blizzard that covers Beaver Stadium.

“That’s a great idea,” Ratner said. “We should get something like that. It’s something where the whole community comes together. You get 102,000 people wearing one color. That’s amazing. (The club) is not quite there yet, but we want to be there.”

But more than going to games and wearing green-and-gold shirts all over campus, Lau and other founding members want people to join. That’s why they’ll be out in full force today in the Bull Market next to Burger King and the rest of next week to get people to join.

“We need more support from students,” Ratner said. “We need to get it where (the students) are the main audience at the games.”

They are more than just members, really. The club membership has nearly doubled to 400 people and an Oct. 1 trip is planned for the game against Miami. Members will take a bus ride to the game on Saturday and stay overnight in a hotel. Even recently hired Kosha Irby, a so-called marketing guru, has climbed aboard to help get the club up to standards of other Big East schools.

“We work with tailgate-type deals and just getting people together in the games and cheering. We really just want to make a presence more known on campus and at games. (We want to) make a difference with USF sports,” Lau said.

Apparently, they just want you to know who they are.