By ELIZABETH ADKINS
As the Cougars score another touchdown at the football games, George Q., a World War II vintage cannon, sounds out with a resounding 'Boom,' and the Army ROTC runs out onto the field. After the BYU fight song has finished, they begin doing push-ups.
George Q. is present at all BYU home football games and is manned by a volunteer crew of cadets.
The cannon crew, which consists of five to seven cadets and one ROTC instructor, mans George Q. during home football games, parades and at special ceremonies.
'All cadets in the Army ROTC program are eligible ,' said Maj. Daniel J. Austin. 'Pretty much anybody can be on the crew.'
There are two divisions in the program, Austin said, those who are planning on a military career and those who think ROTC is fun.
However, the cadets must go through a screening process to be accepted into the cannon crew. Members of the crew must be able to do as many push-ups as the football team scores. The students in the ROTC program are in charge of the training and organization of the crew. A faculty member is always on hand for safety reasons.
While doing push-ups after every score might not be exciting to everyone, 2nd Lt. Matthew Call said it is an honor to be on the cannon crew.
'It is totally volunteer,' Call said. 'It takes the whole Saturday to prepare the cannon. If the game was at 1 p.m., we would have to get up about 7 a.m.'
At each home game, an honorary cannon crew member is chosen and fires the first round while the football team runs onto the field.
'There are certain guidelines BYU puts out ,' Austin said.
The honorary crew member is someone who has done something significant for the nation, for the state or for the university. After shooting the cannon, the honorary member receives an 'I Shot George Q. Cannon' T-shirt.
'For those few seconds, everyone hears the accomplishments of this person,' Austin said. 'The attention is on them and what they accomplished.'
The presence of George Q. intends to not only help build school spirit, but to get crowds excited at home football games.
'It's an added bonus ,' said Nate Nead, 24, BYU student from Maple Valley, Wash. 'It's a cannon; it's like fireworks.'
George Q. came to BYU in 1997 when the University of Kansas no longer needed it. It was painted black but was soon painted Cougar blue. The student body got to vote on the name for the cannon. Brigham's Boomer and George Q. were the two names up for vote and George Q. received the most votes.