Will Ferrell Cowbell

The SEC in 1-2-3: Pregame excitement only in high def

Having trouble waiting until the start of college football season?

In a series on Sundays, the Times Free Press is providing top-three lists on various Southeastern Conference topics. Today’s list contains the best big-screen productions before a game.

Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium is the second-smallest venue in the SEC with a capacity of 55,082, but it has the league’s largest high-definition video board and the fourth largest in college football.

Beginning last season, MSU’s video board showed the popular Saturday Night Live skit from April 2000 with Christopher Walken as fictional music producer Bruce Dickinson and Will Ferrell as fictional Blue Oyster Cult cowbell player Gene Frenkle. The skit portrays a Blue Oyster Cult recording session from 1976 in which Dickinson is intrigued by the cowbell in the band’s classic hit “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

“Last year, we were given the opportunity by the Southeastern Conference to bring our cowbells into Davis Wade Stadium on a trial basis to see if we could ring them at appropriate times,” MSU director of athletic marketing Chad Thomas said. “We had heard from our fans for several years about using the Saturday Night Live skit about needing more cowbell and putting that on a video board. We just didn’t think before last year that it was appropriate because technically cowbells were still considered artificial noisemakers that were supposed to be banned from the stadium.

“It came to fruition when we were allowed to bring them in, so we made it part of the educational process.”

Mississippi State pays royalty fees to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), which allows the university to use clips and music at home events.

The Saturday Night Live skit is stopped each Saturday on the video board moments before its conclusion. At that point, a different State celebrity such as former coach Jackie Sherrill or former 1,000-yard rusher Anthony Dixon appears on the screen to point out the appropriate times in which fans can ring their cowbells.

After the MSU celebrity gets his message across, he says, “I respect the bell. Do you?”

Then the SNL skit resumes, as delirious Bulldogs fans hear Walken exclaim, “I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.”

“We’ll use it again this year,” Thomas said. “We haven’t decided if we will use different celebrities again, because we’re not sure if the message got lost because of who the celebrity was. The message is very important, and we want to make sure it is consistent.

Saturday Night Live SNL Will Ferrell More Cowbell Men's Zip Front ...

This brand new, unique Saturday Night Live sweatshirt makes an ideal gift for fans of the More Cowbell skit. The heavy duty hoodie will stand up to years of wear, and has a variety of features designed for ultimate comfort and style. Large front print of the traditional “more cowbell” design in white on the black background of the hoodie. Drawstring adjustable hood that is fully lined – and very roomy, unlike most hoodies – plus two front pockets. 80% cotton, 20% polyester. Machine washable.

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