Coyote Crazies organization works to support USD at home games

The voice behind the roar of the crowd, the unlimited supply of energy and the iconic red and white overalls. Those three things are the defining factors of the Coyote Crazies.

Founded in 2013, the Coyote Crazies are the united students that are the “hype” team of the USD Coyotes. They regularly provide the majority of the student sections at most, if not all, of the sporting events and look to provide a loud and supportive home-field crowd.

Along with being a huge factor in setting the intimidating atmosphere for the home team in said events, there are also several other perks often overlooked by students, according to fourth-year member and previous assistant director Quinn Pieper.

After paying their $15 dues to become a member, students are entitled to member-exclusive events such as early ticket pickup and free t-shirts.

“They also do a good job of recapping games, providing summaries of what has happened over the past week and letting members know what is coming up,” Pieper said. “It is a good way of getting information out to them while providing random incentives throughout the year to go to the games.”

While being part of the organization, members are also able to become an even bigger part and join the board. On the organization board, there are project leaders that take on each event with their team to host activities such as tailgates.

The board meets every week and the project teams get together to plan events and help prepare for upcoming events like the Dakota Days Parade.

“Ultimately, we just try to promote USD athletics and Coyote pride among all of our fans,” Pieper said.

Although everyone on the board has their own positions, they are never alone, according to first-year member Emilee Shostrom, the merchandise chair on the board.

“We all get tasks assigned to us, but we all pitch in ideas for events and pick up any open duties to help each other out with our positions,” said Shostrom.

Regarding her views of the student outlook for the games, Shostrom said the Coyote Crazies are always trying to find ways to boost USD’s athletic teams.

“Once all of our members get their overalls that they purchased, if we could all coordinate in wearing them to the game and make up half or more of the student section in our red and white, I think that would make a big impression on the community,” Shostrom said. “It would really represent us as being very united and supportive of our Coyotes regardless of the sport or season.”

When the organization was founded in 2013, the Crazies had 300 members by the end of the first year. Since then, they’ve managed to surpass their membership goals. While the goal for this year was to have 300-400 members by Dakota Days (Oct. 7), expectations were exceeded beyond measures. At last count, by the end of welcome week, there were more than 600 members, according to Pieper.

As the organization nears its fourth year of existence, the Coyote Crazies hope to continue to provide strong support to all USD athletics.