For the first home football game of the season, Nicholls freshmen will wear red, participate in the Colonel walk and create a tunnel on the field for the players.

The first home game this year, against Henderson State, will be the first home game for the Nicholls freshmen. Courtney Cassard, Director of Enrollment Services, said that this is a great way to kick off the year for all students, especially freshmen.

“The goal is to make all the freshmen feel welcome and invited. It is also a cool experience to be a part of,” Cassard said.

When the game begins, a Nicholls freshman will be chosen for the coin toss and the rest of the freshmen will line up on both sides of the field to make a tunnel for the football players to run through.

Before the game, at 3:45 the Colonel walk will begin, led by the band, and parade through to the tailgate. The Nicholls Veterans Association, Admissions, Student Government Association and the Athletics Department are hosting the school’s first tailgate of the season. All the organizations have come up with different ideas, each including freshmen. The veterans are hosting the karaoke, and the SGA is providing food and Nicholls promotional items at the tailgate.

“This year, the tailgate area is only for the students. We need to make sure the freshmen have a chance to get involved with everyone else,” Cassard said.

Adam LeFort, SGA President, said, “We want to start traditions and want the freshmen to get involved more than anything.”

The Nicholls freshmen are encouraged to be a part of this because if they have a good time, they will want to come back, in turn creating more school spirit. Everyone, including the football team, band and cheerleading team, wants all the support they can get for the entire football season. The Athletic Department definitely pushed hard for some type of event that can include all students and support all athletes, and this is a way to do so.

The idea came from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette’s first home game, when their freshmen made a tunnel for their football players. Cassard said that Nicholls saw this and expanded upon the idea.

“If all goes to plan, hopefully we can do this again next year,” Cassard said. “It gives them motivation to come up with ideas to keep the students’ Colonel Pride.”

“The goal is to get the freshmen involved,” LeFort said, “It’s something new to show Colonel Pride. They also want to get all students out to the first game for support and to show school spirit.”

At the end of the football season, the Nicholls Veterans Association, Admissions, SGA and the Athletics Department might plan similar events for the senior game. The seniors would then participate in the Colonel Walk and create a tunnel for the football players. Both Cassard and LeFort hope that all goes well with this football season so that the involved organizations can start doing this every year, and it can become tradition.