The SEC’s most obnoxious fans: There’s a new orange No. 1
Our inaugural ranking of the SEC’s most obnoxious fans was presented in 2008, and much has changed over 24 months. Mississippi State has switched coaches. Auburn has switched coaches. (Then again, when doesn’t Auburn switch coaches?) Tennessee has switched coaches twice. Kentucky’s coach quit. Vanderbilt’s coach just quit. Florida’s coach quit and un-quit.
Amid such flux, it’s only fair that our rankings don’t remain static. Indeed, I’m proud — actually, I’m not sure if “proud” is the proper word — to note that our new rankings are completely different. Not one of the 12 positions has gone unchanged, which says … well, I don’t know what it says. But there we are.
A note: I asked for your input the other day, and I have taken your thoughts under the deepest advisement. Indeed, the results of our little poll are included herein. But I must stress that these are my rankings, and I’m a neutral. (Full disclosure: I’m a graduate of Kentucky, which hopes one day to start a football program.)
Oh, and I probably should mention that I attended my first SEC game in 1969, covered my first SEC game in 1976 and have seen a game at every SEC stadium. Meaning: I might be an idiot, but I’m a well-traveled idiot.
And with that, I hereby unveil the 2010 rankings of the SEC’s most obnoxious fans. In honor of our previous champion, fans of the new title-holder are required by executive order to wear jean shorts for the next two years.
12. Tennessee (No. 7 in 2008, No. 4 in 2010 AJC.com poll): Purely a sympathy vote. The formerly Big Orange has seen itself massively devalued from within. It has a lousy AD who hired the brat Lane Kiffin, and now this program is in a world of hurt. (In a display of bravery, the lousy AD just canceled a series with North Carolina) Put simply, I feel sorry for Tennessee fans. They deserve better than ham-handed Mike Hamilton.
11. Vanderbilt (No. 10 in 2008, No. 10 in 2010 AJC.com poll): It’s never a good sign when a coach quits a month before summer camp convenes, but that’s what Bobby Johnson did. He did it because he was tired of losing. Johnson is a fine football man who stands as Vandy’s best coach in the past quarter-century. He went 12-52 in league play. Imagine having to watch that every season, world without end.
10. Kentucky (No. 11 in 2008, No. 11 in 2010 AJC.com poll): Big Blue football rooters didn’t do anything obnoxious these past two seasons. Big Blue rooters save the obnoxious behavior for basketball, a sport for which they have no peers regarding exess. They’ve only moved up — or down, depending on your point of view — to No. 10 because I happened to feel really sorry for Tennessee and Vandy.
9. Mississippi State (No. 12 in 2008, No. 12 in 2010 AJC.com poll): Backers of the maroon Bulldog believe Dan Mullen can win more than his share of games. If so, it would only trigger the scariest words in the English language: More cowbell!
8. Ole Miss (No. 9 in 2008, No. 9 in 2010 AJC.com poll): I can handle Rebel fans most years, but occasionally they’ll get all geeked up and start sounding like Georgia or South Carolina folks. (“This is finally our year! This time for sure!”) For the Rebels, last season was such a time. Naturally, they went 4-4 in SEC play, including an egg-on-the-face loss to Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. And now coach Houston Nutt, who’s nutty, has allowed quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to walk on despite having been kicked off the Oregon squad and having pleaded guilty in separate incidents. Nutt has promised “zero tolerance” regarding Masoli. Me, I anticipate more egg on the Ole Miss face.
7. South Carolina (No. 6 in 2008, No. 7 in 2010 AJC.com poll): I keep thinking the Gamecocks are going to be really good this year. I also keep wondering what will happen with their fans — who have thought the Gamecocks are going to be really good every year since ‘92 (and I mean 1892) — are finally proved right.
6. LSU (No. 8 in 2008, No. 5 in 2010 AJC.com poll): Here’s where you and I disagree the most. I’ve always considered a trip to Tiger Stadium a treat. Then again, I don’t sit in the stands, an experience I’ve been led to believe is most challenging. But I will tell you this: The best scripted moment in all of college football is when the Golden Band from Tigerland and the Golden Girls conduct their pregame march to midfield. Beats Ohio State’s “Script Ohio” six ways to Saturday.
5. Alabama (No. 4 in 2008, No. 3 in 2010 AJC.com poll): Being old enough to have seen Alabama under the Bear, I dreaded the thought of the Tide rising again to eminence. In the ’70s and ’80s, there were no worse fans. (Except maybe Kentucky basketball fans, and even then it was a coin flip.) But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the relative moderation that has accompanied Bama’s latest national championship. Maybe this has to do with Nick Saban, who never crows and is never satisfied. Whatever the case, I offer this relatively benign ranking as a thank-you.
4. Georgia (No. 3 in 2008, No. 2 in 2010 AJC.com poll): If it’s possible to have sympathy for folks who take pride in trashing their own campus, I have some sympathy for Dawg-lovers. Because I think every Georgia road game this autumn is going to be off the hook. I think this because of Damon Evans and red panties.
3. Arkansas (No. 5 in 2008, No. 7 in 2010 AJC.com poll): It wasn’t enough that Hog fans ran off Houston Nutt and welcomed Bobby Petrino as a conquering hero, not the sinking-ship-deserting rat he was. But now apparently you have to pass a loyalty test to work for an Arkansas radio station. (Reporter Renee Gork was fired after wearing a Florida hat to a press conference; being Petrino, he noticed and objected.) And Hog fans reacted as if her dismissal was a good thing. Where’s Edward R. Murrow when you need him?
2. Florida (No. 1 in 2008, No. 1 in 2010 AJC.com poll): I know, I know. It takes effort not to put the hated Gators — and they’re hated in every SEC outpost, not just Athens, Ga. — at the top of anything involving the word “obnoxious.” But I have to confess: I never understood why everybody hated Tim Tebow. He was a really good player who seemed like a really good guy. If he played for Georgia or Alabama, would those fans have not similarly lionized him? But if you’re asking me to defend jorts … well, that line I will not cross.
1. Auburn (No. 2 in 2008, No. 6 in 2010 AJC.com poll): Because Tiger fans still worship at the tainted feet of Pat Dye. Because they run off coaches on a whim. Because they’ve grown as arrogant as Alabama backers without one-tenth the justification. Because they’re still whining over the national championship they didn’t win in 2004. Because the world’s worst fan — the Montgomery banker Bobby Lowder — is an Auburn man. And because I would pay money (though not a lot) to see Bobby Lowder in jean shorts.
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1,009 comments Add your comment
Utahjazz1
August 26th, 2010
12:37 pm
It becomes very difficult to take a writer seriously when he fabricates facts. In 2003 Petrino wasn’t hired, Tuberville wasn’t fired. Almost, yes. But it didn’t happen. And as for obnoxious? Most fans are not. Sports journalists however……
yellowjacket1975
August 26th, 2010
12:38 pm
I still say the Gamechickens hands down. They go nuts when they beat Clemson once every century & talk mad shiot about how great the SEC cause they are in it then get EXTREMELY hateful & fighting mad when you politely remind them that they have an overall losing record in football, ZERO big bowl appearances, & have never finished better than 2nd in their division after 18 years in the SEC.
UGA fans are so ....
August 26th, 2010
12:38 pm
Auburn #1? You have got to be kidding. The top 3 are UGA, UF & UA. At least UF & UA have won NC’s in recent years. UGA fan base is a bunch of Bama wanna-bes. Every year for the last 30 you have heard UGA fans running off at the mouth about them winning the NC & then they wet themselves.
Lee Corso
August 26th, 2010
12:38 pm
This goes to the provincial nature of college football. It’s what makes it the best sport on the planet but also one of the most obnoxious. Of course people from other schools in Atlanta think UGA fans are the worst. Just like people in Philly think Penn State fans are the worst, everyone in LA who didn’t go to SC thinks USC fans are the worst, OU fans in Dallas think Texas fans are the worst, people from other schools in Seattle think UW fans are the worst. You get the idea.
If you really think UGA fans are worse than your school’s fans because they happen to be everywhere in Atlanta, then you are delusional.
LawDawg
August 26th, 2010
12:38 pm
ATL Gator,
When you get your nose down from the clouds think about what you said….”UGA can’t make an informed argument on this because they never have to go to Gainesville, and I promise most the students don’t make it to Jacksonville academics is overwhelmingly most important on UF campus.
As sad as it is to say i would wager our student body is more on par with Georgia Tech than another SEC football power.”
AND….
”
I have literally, hand on my heart, I have seen people in the student section at the swamp during a conference game, studying chemistry notes.”
I agree…you are like GT in one way: Very pompous and full of it!!
Pat Dye's Tainted Toes!!
August 26th, 2010
12:38 pm
Well apparenlty there are some haters out there. Your logic is still very wrong (based on what you said). Coaching carousel? 4 in thirty years??? Hey, we can’t all hire Joe Paterno, you know.
My experience with Auburn fans is that they are very good natured and, if anything, always waiting for something bad to happen to them….as it usually does. I mean, how do you go undefeated in the SEC, and STILL get told to go sit in the back of the bus. I’m pretty sure any SEC team would be p!ssed off about that. As far as being jerks….well there is only so much Roll Tide, WOOFWOOFWOOF, Gator/Tiger Bait taunts one can stomach before retaliation is necessary, ie I bet most of the folks had it coming.
WDE
August 26th, 2010
12:39 pm
I think Mark just knows that the largest non-Alabama location for Auburn fans is Metro Atlanta. Picking TN or UF would have been too obvious. And honestly I think he’s just ignoring the facts on UA- erecting a statue to Saban, screaming about tradition, etc… So Auburn is his weak attempt at an “outside-of-the-box” pick.
I am literally scratching my head at his reasons:
1. Worship at the feet of Pat Dye….. Huh? You rarely hear his name thrown around in anywhere close to the amount you hear other schools hail their figureheads.
2. Arrogance versus Alabama… Yes, there was a period a couple years ago where Auburn had established sheer dominance over Alabama. But look at UGA’s arrogance over their main rival, Georgia Tech. Or Florida over Georgia’s. Auburn’s “Fear the Thumb” a few years ago doesn’t come anywhere close in obnoxiousness as “WE RUN THIS STATE”
3. 2004, Auburn got hosed. Everyone knows it, and the SEC has reaped the benefits from this one-year mistake ever since. Never again will an undefeated SEC team not play in the national championship. You shouldn’t hate us for that, you should be happy that it was us and not your school.
4. Bobby Lowder sucks, your best point- but hardly enough to put us in discussion for the #1 ranking. If you had an individual ranking, he would win. But you can’t hate all of us when really we are the ones hurt by this idiot.
I think the pure amount of calm, reasonable responses you see hear saying Auburn was a horrible pick pretty much invalidates your article.
Me
August 26th, 2010
12:40 pm
Where is the AJC having to dig up these douche bag “journalists”? Just look at all the fans from opposing schools who think you are an idiot. You will die broke and alone.
CATlanta
August 26th, 2010
12:40 pm
As a Kentucky grad, I offer my opinion on this article…
First, there is no way possible that Auburn could be even considered to have the most obnoxious fans. I have been to several games at Jordan-Hare. At the last, which UK won by the way, all of the fans around me were pleasant and one couple even offered to take my picture after the game with the scoreboard in the background. One drunk guy did tell us where to go, but after he stumbled down the tunnel, I had various other fans apologize for him and tell us not to think that one drunk idiot represented Auburn. I’d have to say I agree with them.
Second, there is nothing like getting barked at for 3 1/2 hours in Athens. I’ve only had one trip to Athens where I haven’t been cussed at the whole ball game. Ironically, that was last year when UK won. I think it’s because I was sitting with the alumni and not the fans that have no connection to the institution that give all schools a bad name.
Finally, Florida fans are hospitable as long as they are winning. Ole Miss fans yelling “Go to ___ Kentucky” during the National Anthem are amusing. LSU fans are scary after dark. I can deal with the Hogs, and I take ear plugs to Starkville. I’ve never been to Columbia, so I can’t offer an opinion there.
Alabama takes the cake by a landslide. Just listen to Finebaum on any particular afternoon. It makes me gag almost as much as walking into Neyland Stadium and seeing all that orange and fans in Elvis suits.
Yes, Kentucky basketball fans are obnoxious. That’s our job
. Go Cats!
UGA fans are so ...
August 26th, 2010
12:41 pm
Auburn #1? Not even top 3. UGA #1 by far, then UF & UA.
Will Smith
August 26th, 2010
12:41 pm
Wow Mark, you are an idiot. Bitter about something? I’ve never seen a list with AU as the top for “worst” fans but I think I can deal with one moron sports writer. You probably hang out with Paul Finebaum huh?
Red
August 26th, 2010
12:41 pm
Sorry but LSU fans by far. Nothing’s worse than drunk Cajuns in purple beads screaming words not in the English language at you on gameday.
Ears Whitworth
August 26th, 2010
12:41 pm
Whuh?
ATL Gator
August 26th, 2010
12:43 pm
Think what you want LawDawg but it is true. Spend any amount of time in Gainesville and you’ll see. UF is over run with students from South Florida who grew up watching more soccer than football. They go to the games because its the thing to do but they dont live and die with the Gators like students at other SEC schools, its just a fact. They are there to get a nationally ranked education, their culture and upbringing didnt expose them to college football, and they really don’t care much about it. They are excited when we win, because its a source of pride, but when we lose, its mostly indifference. The alumni from the Spurrier days are the ones who overwhelming keep up our bad reputation. But UF has by far the biggest discrepancy between current students and alumni and casual fans.
guest
August 26th, 2010
12:43 pm
Where does Mark Bradley get this idea that Auburn runs coaches off on a whim? Auburn has had 4 coaches in the last 30 years. Almost every school in the SEC has had more over the same period of time.
He also claims that Auburn fans worship at the tainted feet of pat Dye, but he ignores how other SEC schools do the same thing. Vince Dooley recruited dozens or hundreds of players who couldnt read or write during the 1980’s , but Georgia still kept him around in the role of head coach or athletic director for many years after the Jan Kemp incident took place.
Bear Bryant admitted he was a cheater on top of being a drunk, womanizer, and gambler. He was surrounded by other cheaters his entire career in Tuscaloser. Despite those things, bammers still walk around wearing Houndstooth hats because that style of hat was worn by the bear. Bammer also plays a pre-game message from still today, but nobody can understand what he is saying, because he was probably drunk at the time it was recorded
PLS
August 26th, 2010
12:44 pm
Living in Alabama and being an ACC fan I wholeheartedly agree. It’s bad now but if they have any success at all the obnoxious meter just starts spinning out of control.
WDE
August 26th, 2010
12:44 pm
And the coaches comment is truly the worst. We have had 4 coaches in the last 28 years, and that’s including a guy just starting his second year following a 10-year guy.
Chizik – 2009-present
Tuberville – 1998-2008
Terry Bowden – 1993-1998
Pat Dye – 1981-1992
David
August 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
I’m an Auburn grad and actually love this column. Every school has their moron fans and each of us probably has very different experiences with totally different people. Having said that, I do kind of laugh about AU being #1 here. Silly stuff.
Jay
August 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
State the absurd and watch the comments flow.
Effective but sophomoric.
Bear Bryant
August 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
Bama fans are worst because of the simple fact they have such low self-esteem they have to invent national championships. Attention Bama fan- you did not win a single national championship until I became coach and even then not all of them are without controversy.
Dale
August 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
Huge factories in China, Mexico, and the Philippines are producing flaming red panties by the billions. Dawgtards will see them at every away game this year and for decades to come.
Get used to red panties falling from the sky.
Auburn Man
August 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
Uh, just like everything else the AJC posts, this is yet another example of sheer stupidity. Go out on the street and ask ANYONE ANYWHERE in the USA who has the most obnoxious fans. You will not find ONE person who says Auburn. No one in Auburn or anywhere else worships at the feet of Pat Dye.
yellowjacket1975
August 26th, 2010
12:46 pm
Whoa! Hold on their Slawdog! UGA student body on par with Tech???? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh & slawdog, reading a martini recipe during a Georgia/Florida game does not constitute “studying chemistry notes”.
HugoStiglitz
August 26th, 2010
12:46 pm
Having Auburn over UGA really shows that Mark had a bad run in with an Auburn fan recently. Nobody on earth who had spent alot of time with both fan bases would put Auburn anywhere near UGA when it comes to obnoxious fans. Maybe Tennessee, maybe Florida, but Auburn is ridiculous.
Bama Mama
August 26th, 2010
12:46 pm
What is it with people in the South who never went to college being so zealous about college teams?
And why does UGA license camo hats with their logo on it? It makes it seem like a special needs school.
LawDawg
August 26th, 2010
12:46 pm
Cousin Avi,
Your case would be thrown out…Again, there is ZERO basis. You have not prooved anything (other than being jealous of Georgia). By your reasoning,ESPN Game Day appearances at home are the sign of what “tier” you are on? Great logic. With your constant infatuation with UGA your handle is now “Cousin Envy”!!
ATL Gator,
I thought you said you had never been to Athens, yet you claim to have chocked to death in a bar from the cig smoke. Do you realize that Gainesville is the armpit of Florida?
gcs
August 26th, 2010
12:47 pm
There are 11 teams in the SEC that hope Bobby Lowder lives to be 100 years old.
My favorite quote of this article: “…sounding like Georgia or South Carolina folks. (“This is finally our year! This time for sure!”)” Hilarious!
P.S. The word “jorts” just makes me laugh.
.
Auburn Man
August 26th, 2010
12:47 pm
“Because they run off coaches on a whim.”
WHO DID THEY RUN OFF?????????
Whine about 2004??????? ARE YOU RETARDED???????????? DID YOU MISS USC GOING ON PROBATION FOR CHEATING????????
ATL Gator
August 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
Ok tried to post this before, don’t know what happened. The current Florida student body is overrun by people from South Florida whose culture and upbringing didn’t expose them to college football. It wasn’t a way of life for them growing up like it is in other states, most of them watched soccer and many others i met were NFL fans or U of Miami fans. They went to UF to get a ranked education and they go to the games because its the thing to do. They can be a little obnxious when we win because its a source of pride but they are plain indifferent to a lose. It is overwhelmingly the alumni from the Spurrier days who keep our bad rep going. UF has by far the biggest discrepancy between current students and alumni and fans who have never been there.
johnny reb
August 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
CornDog Nation is #1. I have been to all the stadiums. I have been hit by a flying liquor bottle at Tiger Stadium and on another occasion my windshield busted by some Cajuns. Best fans UGA & Kentucky.
John
August 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
Georgia fans–especially the UGA student body–easily top the list these days. I have never heard the obscenities or seen the level of intoxication on any campus on any game day anywhere as I have witnessed in Athens in recent years. Their behavior after the loss to Alabama two years ago ranks in a class by itself. On the other hand, I have never seen or heard obnoxious behavior by any Auburn, Kentucky or Mississippi State fan.
Auburn Man
August 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
WDE
Correct, maybe Bradley forgot about UGA running off Donnan, Goff etc… or how about Bama running off every coach they’ve had since Bear Bryant.
Rebel Yell
August 26th, 2010
12:49 pm
I will say this for the LSU fans, Mark. They are loyal to a fault, and make no mistake, I have many LSU friends and they tailgate with us in Oxford when the Tigers come to town. They have their bad apples who speak louder than the true, loyal fans. And they sure can cook some gumbo!
Auburn Man
August 26th, 2010
12:49 pm
I’d say LSU has the meanest most obnoxious fans. They actually want players to die. See: Tim Tebow etc.. They chanted for his death.
ATL Gator
August 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
last i checked LawDawg ATLANTA is in Georgia. Did you learn state capitals at UGA??? I said when i went to a bar IN GEORGIA…that would count Atlanta, moron.
LOL
August 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
“Christina, Tim didn’t jump around any more than great players like David Pollack who was one of the kings of unbridled obnoxious enthusiasm after a good play and on the sideline. Tim just got more media/camera exposure as quarterback.”
Maybe, but I cannot recall a single instance of Pollack gator chomping in another player’s face (or something similar) or taunting an entire student section (as Tebow did at LSU). Your comparison is way off base on that one.
Auburn Man
August 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
“I’ve probably covered 30 games at Auburn, kb.”
Maybe Auburn, Washington but not Alabama.
Cambridge Fan
August 26th, 2010
12:52 pm
The mos obnooxious fans in the world are the Oxford fans. When Oxford and Cambridge get together for cricket it’s off the hook.
Please
August 26th, 2010
12:52 pm
Seriously … black-out arse whoopings on ESPN, Grambling helmets, red panties, QB kicked off team for drunken sexual assault, WOOF WOOF WOOF!!, red pick-up truck capital of the world, 30+ pounds overweight fans on average, UGA fans are #2 to no one.
LawDawg
August 26th, 2010
12:53 pm
yuellowjacket75….
you, my friend , are the biggest IDIOT on this blog. Reading obviously is not a strong point of yours. I used a direct quote (thats what “s are for) from ATL Gator. Please keep away from the adult conversations and get back to the WOW game room!!
Reid
August 26th, 2010
12:53 pm
How can a huge university known far and wide as The Cesspool of the South not have the most obnoxious fans?
Did Damon Evans sponsor the survey?
ATL Gator
August 26th, 2010
12:54 pm
If everyone only knew how bad the city of Jacksonville makes UF look. That place is a trash heap, I for one will continue to hope for the game to be moved to Atlanta. One day a year in Jacksonville is one too many.
Michelle Spiker
August 26th, 2010
12:54 pm
you are quite delusional if you think auburn should be number 1. Out of all the football games i have been too (a few at Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee) i would have to say that auburn is DEF. not the most obnoxious. As a student of Auburn I would like to say that you sir are bias. But hey everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it is just unfortunate that your were actually reported…
shame shame shame
LOL
August 26th, 2010
12:54 pm
Truly comical that you would rank UT lower than Vandy. Vandy fans are about as low key as you can get, how do you consider that more obnoxious than UT fans? UT fans should get bonus points in the obnoxious category for their undying support of Kiffin while he was there.
gayden white
August 26th, 2010
12:55 pm
Do I detect a lot of bias here — like from some wannabe sports writer who flunked out of Auburn as a journalism major during his freshman year?
TRS421
August 26th, 2010
12:55 pm
I’m a UGA fan and 11 year sason ticket holder. I’ve been to every other stadium besides Starkville. EVERY school has its own obnoxious fans. If you’ve ever Called the Dogs, one of the lines is “nothing finer in the land, than a drunk, obnoxious Georgia fan”. We need to remember that fan is short for fanatic, and there is nothing wrong with being obnoxious for your team, but being a jack@$$ to opposing fans is uncalled for. I’ve seen it happen at our tailgate as well as at other stadiums.
Can’t believe I’m saying this as a DAWG, but I’ve gotta agree with ATL Gator. I DID attend the beatdown in Gainesville back in ‘94. Gator fans around us were pretty friendly & actually wished us luck on our remaining schedule. And Gatorman, the Tebow/Pollack comparison is an apt one, as any other school would have canonized Timmy (gotta get a little dig in there)!
Nan
August 26th, 2010
12:56 pm
Why are Richt and Bozo still in Athens? They’re like cancer to a winning program.
Simple Truth
August 26th, 2010
12:56 pm
“Getting Rid of Coaches on a whim.”
Number of head coaches per SEC team since 1980.
Alabama – 8
Arkansas – 6
Auburn – 4
Florida – 5
Georgia – 4
Kentucky – 6
LSU – 8
Ole Miss – at least 6*
Mississippi St. – 5
Tennessee – 4
Vanderbilt – 7
*Had difficulty finding complete data on Ole Miss in the few minutes I allotted for this.
LOL
August 26th, 2010
12:56 pm
“Seriously … black-out arse whoopings on ESPN, Grambling helmets, red panties, QB kicked off team for drunken sexual assault, WOOF WOOF WOOF!!, red pick-up truck capital of the world, 30+ pounds overweight fans on average, UGA fans are #2 to no one.”
Because fans control what uniform the team wears, what our AD does in his personal time, and what an immature moron of a QB did. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense idiot!
OK
August 26th, 2010
12:57 pm
It has been noted a thousand times, but anyone still saying “red panties” is 15 years old or younger or a pimple faced, virgin geek.