Who Dat Talkn Bout Beating Dhem Saints and Braves? Who Dat?

Thursday, January 14, 2010

 “Who Dat Talkn’ Bout Beating Dhem Saints/Braves – Who Dat”          Uncle Dave’s Adventures

By Dave Washington, Jr., Sports Editor

Hold on, wait just a minute before you start yelling and screaming that I am being sacrilegious in using the Saints and Alcorn State Braves in the same sentence.   As always there is a method to my madness.   The reason dates back to the late 60’s when the then Alcorn A&M College football Braves made South Western Athletic Conference and National Black college history.   The “Original Dream Team” which the 18-1-1 Mythical Black College Championship team of 1968-69 became known as, defeated the Florida A&M College Rattlers 36-9, in the Orange Blossom Classic, Black National Championship Game.   The two seasons 68 and 69 put Alcorn on the map.   Those seasons produced many first that have been loss to history only to be reinvented and packaged as original today.

Little known factoids from the annals of Alcorn history:

“Who Dat Talkn’ Bout Beating Dhem Braves”-  This chant coined originally on the reservation during the 68-69 championship years was the battle cry of faithful Alcorn fans and alumni for years.   A certain NFL team found its way a few miles south in the neighboring city of New Orleans and became known as the Saints.  Many years passed until the idea of a winning team in New Orleans became a present reality.   Now the following narrative is only conjecture; faithful Alcorn fans years removed from the sixties and the Dream Team era longed to cheer and shout that fabled Alcorn chant “Who Dat Talkn’Bout Beating Dhem Braves – Who Dat”.  These fans found themselves in the Dome unconsciously yelling and screaming with the fervor of by gone years “Who Dat Talkn’ Bout Beating Dhem Saints – Who Dat”.    Now with visions of a perfect season dashed and visions of a Super Bowl dancing in their heads the fans, management and the team of New Orleans have laid claims to “Who Dat”.    Should the Saints continue their triumphant march to the Super Bowl and face an undefeated Indianapolis Colts and Payton Manning and after four quarters of play find themselves World Champions and the chant goes out “Who Dat Talkn’ Bout Beating Dhem Saints – Who Dat”, be reminded of the original dream team.   Just maybe a little of the residual of “Who Dat” of forty years ago will still be around for the Saints today.    

It was rumored that a former All Pro NFL member of the Original Dream Team presented the current ASU football team a picture plaque of the championship ring prior to the Capitol City Classic with words of encouragement.   Maybe the residual works Alcorn 14 Jackson State 7.  

Like many great inventions, ideas and slogans that have gone unpatented, not trademarked nor a copy write granted, so goes “Who Dat”.   Others from Alcorn’s history include:

Dancing girls during half-time– The Alcorn A&M College “Golden Girls” hit the scene years before the Jackson State J-Setters and others that have followed the lead of Alcorn.  The girls born more out of necessity than crowd appeal, the Golden Girls made their National début in Miami, Florida during the previously mentioned Orange Blossom Classic.   Alcorn, titled the Rag-tag band from Mississippi by the National Media boasted a 100 piece marching band.   The Rattlers of FAMU boasted a band that moved at the speed of light with its rapid fire precision drills and formations.   But no one had ever seen dancing girls at half time.   The ASU band took the field first with cheers from the sparsely populated purple and gold crowd in the stands.  To the amazement of the packed Orange Bowl stadium, the one hundred plus Alcorn marching band, some attired in fresh new band suits, others with crouch less pants, yet others with suits two or three sizes too small or too large started the show.   Half times were traditionally a show of precision formations, intricate patterns and big band music.   This night proved to be anything but traditional.   To the sound of the sixties Motown beats the Alcorn band shocked the crowd when the entire band danced to its own tunes.   In perfect alignment and all moving as one, the band pulsated to the beat of its incredible human juke boxmusic.  Now you can imagine where the names of some SWAC school bands may have originated.   The crowd had reached a stage of pandemonium in disbelief as they witnessed history in the making, and then a hush came over the crowd as eight caped black beauties took the field.   The capes were flung off revealing Alcorn’s secret weapon for the battle of the bands – The first edition of the Alcorn Golden Girls– all heavenly endowed from head to toe caused many to take a double take.   Others just shook their heads in amazement.   Tastefully risqué would be the most likely category or genres the girls could be placed in back in the day. The ear shattering noise by the crowd was the meter that measured the approval rating the band and the Golden Girls received that night in South, Florida.    The little school that no one gave a chance captured the hearts of everyone in that stadium that night.   Now as for as the football team, well if you haven’t looked in the record books lately after the 36-9 whooping Alcorn gave the Rattlers, Alcorn has never been invited back to play the Rattlers again.   If your offense managed –93 yards (not a misprint a negative 93 total offensive yards) I don’t imagine you would extend an invitation either.   Both the team and the band were showered with cheers and accolades.   Those accolades are remembered to this day this 40th year anniversary by those courageous students and student athletes that were apart of the greatest team ever to play at Alcorn.   The Original Dream Team 1968-69.  

“Who Dat Talkn’ Bout Beating Dhem Braves- Who Dat”

Dave Washington is an eleven year NFL veteran and former all Rookie and All Pro for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49’ers.   His current work titled –

“Room 10 — The ASU Story” – Boys becoming men and champions being made! – is due out early summer.