By Kevin Shannahan
NSU’s Turpin stadium was anything but quiet Wednesday Sept. 7 as the student body, led by President Dr. Jim Henderson, held the biggest pep rally in the school’s recent history to kick off Thursday’s football game against the Incarnate Word University Cardinals. The NSU sideline hosted a stage with a huge jumbotron that played a message from President Henderson as well as highlights from past Demon greats such as Joe Delaney.
The Spirit of Northwestern Marching Band kept up a steady beat of music as cheerleaders, the Demon Dazzlers and Pom Pon line performed for the large and fired up crowd of students. ROTC cadets with camoflaged face paint ran on the field with American and NSU flags leading a group of new freshman on to the field.
Dr. Henderson delivered a firey speech fit for the ages as he poked fun at some of NSU’s opponents and ecouraged the crowd to engage in “civil hostility” during the game. He also praised other NSU fall sports such as Volleyball and Soccer whose seasons are underway as well. As befitting a university whose student section is named “the inferno,” Dr. Henderson quoted the inscription over the entrance to Hades in Dante’s Inferno “Abandon hope all ye who enter here”-in the original Italian. The pep rally closed with the traditional playing of the Alma Mater by the Spirit of Northwestern Band. The NSU Demons take on the Cardinals Thursday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. Wear white as this is the annual “white out game”!