If you’ve been to Sun Devil Stadium for an ASU football game before this year, you’ll notice that the renovated facility definitely looks different now than it has in years past.
But like the late-night kickoffs in September and the classic maroon and gold uniform combination in the home opener, some things never change.
1. Camp Fargo
Camp Fargo, located in the circular walkway around Wells Fargo Arena, is the spot for students eager to score prime seating in the new Double Inferno student section. Some students have camped out as far in advance as a week before the game, pitching tents and ordering pizzas while doing homework and playing video games. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Manny Wilkins was a frequent Camp Fargo visitor last year and even played FIFA with students.
2. Wearing gold
Sun Devil Stadium is awash in gold t-shirts on game days, except on special occasions like the Maroon Monsoon and the blackout game.
3. The “Double Inferno”
Students are assigned wristbands which place them in the dual student section, either in the north or south end zone. The aptly-named “Double Inferno” is an echo of the “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here” signage in the southeast corner of the stadium. The excerpt is an homage to the Dante Alighieri poem Divine Comedy.
The 'Double Inferno' makes its debut at Sun Devil Stadium. Less than two hours until kickoff. pic.twitter.com/P5LZhJimSd
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) September 13, 2015
4. Singing the Alma Mater
After each game, the Alma Mater is played by the Sun Devil Marching Band to serenade the team after the Sun Devils gather in the north end zone for a huddle and prayer.
— Stefan Modrich (@StefanJModrich) September 25, 2016
5. Ringing the Victory Bell
This tradition is also done at women’s basketball games, among other Sun Devil athletics events, and accompanies the planting of the pitchfork in the end zone.
16 rings on that victory bell for @SunDevilWBB. pic.twitter.com/k5nnfUYiSB
— Ryan Clarke (@RyanTClarke) January 23, 2016
6. Running in and out of the Tillman Tunnel
Among the most special ASU football traditions is the running out of the tunnel named after former Sun Devil, Arizona Cardinal, and U.S. Army veteran Pat Tillman. The team runs out of the tunnel joined by alumni who greet them in the tunnel. Fans can watch from the new opening of the tunnel roof in the stadium concourse and students reach for high-fives from players as they re-enter the tunnel at halftime and at the end of games.
7. Tailgating at Devils on Mill or Devils on College
Mill Avenue will always be the premier place for ASU pre- and postgame parties, but College Avenue has delivered an impressive (and more family-friendly) alternative experience for game-bound Sun Devil fans.
8. The Territorial Cup
The oldest rivalry in college football has been renewed in its intensity in recent years. Plenty of fans from “the team down south” flock to Tempe, while maroon-and-gold clad Sun Devil fans travel to Tucson (the location of this year’s game) for the annual Duel in the Desert. If you’re unsure who currently has the cup, there will surely be someone at a game will be eager to jog your memory.
9. Protecting A Mountain
A group of students affiliated with the Student Alumni Association is tasked with protecting the famed ‘A’ atop the Tempe Buttes, between which Sun Devil stadium is nestled. Their track record in recent years has been mixed, with rogue Wildcats successfully painting the ‘A’ red in 2013 and 2014. However, ASU sympathizers have traveled to Tucson to exact revenge.
10. Breaking The Rock / Carrying the Flag
In pregame, three players will find either the Arizona state flag, the American flag or a pitchfork-engraved sledge hammer inspired by ASU head coach Todd Graham’s “hammer down” mantra. When the team runs out on to the field, the players will carry these items with them. At the end of each win, a rock with the opponent’s logo is crushed on the locker room floor by a player who wields the hammer.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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