Today@Sam Article

Homecoming 2015 To Celebrate Bearkat, Football History

Sept. 28, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Dawine Bergeron

Updated Oct. 9 with time changes due to the football game being televised.

“Homecoming is such a spectacular time for SHSU. It’s when our past comes together with our present and our future is illuminated,” said associate director of Student Activities Brandon Cooper.

“This year’s theme, #ThrowbackBearkat, is truly a tribute to all generations of Bearkats, from our immediate past all the way back to our founding in1879.”

This year, SHSU’s Homecoming festivities and theme will celebrate 100 seasons of football, as well as Bearkat history, Oct. 19-24.

Activities will begin on Monday, when members of the Bearkat football team will help rile up SHSU students for the week of activities during the Homecoming Kick-Off, beginning at noon in the Bearkat Plaza.

This year’s homecoming king and queen candidates also will be introduced during the event. 

On Wednesday, Student Activities will host the annual “SAM Jam Carnival” from 7-10 p.m. in the Holleman Field Parking Lot, featuring food, fun, and friends, who can participate in the carnival-style games and rides.

On Thursday, Bearkats will come together on Sam Houston Avenue for the Homecoming parade, beginning at 6:30 pm.

Nearly 100—including student organizations, honored alumni, guests, and the Huntsville businesses—will celebrate Bearkat and football history, old and new, through their floats, decorated for the #ThrowbackBearkat theme.

The Distinguished Alumni Gala reception will be held on Friday in the Lowman Student Center Art Gallery at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and program in the LSC Ballroom at 7 p.m.

This year’s gala will recognize Distinguished Alumni Award recipients Carolyn Chipman Faulk, Stan Blinka, and Cindy Marion, Outstanding Young Alumna Award recipient Ashley Etienne Stephens, and Service Award recipients John Peltier and Alan Tinsley.

Tickets are $100 per person, and the deadline to reserve a seat is Oct. 16. 

Later on, students can make their way to the LSC theater, where the Program Council will present SHSU’s 2015 Homecoming movie, “Trainwreck,” beginning at 6 p.m.

Gameday activities will kick off at 1 p.m., when the Bearkat volleyball team will take on Northwestern State at Johnson Coliseum. 

At 3 p.m., adjacent to Bearkat Alley, at Intramural Field No. 3, SHSU's Black Alumni and Friends will celebrate together during their tailgating event.

Bearkat Alley will open at 4 p.m. for alumni, students, guests, and fans, offering free food and activities in preparation for the SHSU Bearkats versus Nicholls State Colonels football game at 6 p.m.

“Homecoming is about paying homage to all the amazing students we have sent off into the world and the ones that are about to go and seek their students,” Cooper said.

Those interested in participating in the homecoming parade, running for king or queen, or wanting information on any of the homecoming activities can visit shsu.edu/homecoming.

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