UC Stabs Me Through The Heart, Removes “Halloween” Theme As Third Down Song

There are few aspects about Bearcats football that have stayed with me since I first latched onto the program in the mid-2000’s. Those little, random details of the games that built the foundation of the UC football fan I am today. On the basketball side most of them emanate from Cincinnati’s incredible run in the 1990’s but those on the grid iron are admittedly much more recent.

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I’m not sure on which aspect is ingrained in the fabric of my fandom more. Near the top of the list definitely has to be the sheer noise generated from UC night games and particularly blackouts. I’ll never forget my eardrums nearly bursting against Pitt in 2008 or West Virginia in 2009. I couldn’t believe the kind of pandemonium that could be produced by a stadium that maxed out at 35,000 fans.

There’s also the chills I got when the players sprinted out of the tunnel as fireworks blasted into the sky around them. That’s something I couldn’t forget even if I tried. That along with “Cat Scratch Fever” blasting from the overhead speakers. I’m not sure what it was but that Ted Nugent classic speaks to me when it’s played during a Bearcats football game.

The same goes for the “Halloween” music on third downs. You know, the maniacal, soul scraping song when UC forced the opposing offense into a third down situation and the pressure was mounting for the opponent to convert. It made absolutely no sense why Cincinnati played “Halloween” at those points but, just like the idea of “Bear-Cat”, it was a part of UC’s tradition.

And now they’ve gone and thrown that by the wayside.

I… I really don’t know what to say. It’s like someone reached into my chest, yanked out my heart, and threw it into the gutter. Call me over-dramatic, call me nit-picky, but by George do I reminisce about Cincinnati Bearcats football every time I hear the “Halloween” theme.

Ok, this probably isn’t a huge deal. I’ll probably eventually get over it, especially if what UC’s calling 3rd Down Chaos winds up being everything they’re hyping it up to be. But man is this a shot in the gut for me.