Spring Street Houligans

The Spring Street Houligans (often shortened to Houligans) is a student section at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The size of the student section varies by game or sport, and because the group is unofficial, there is no accurate way of telling exactly how many members the Houligans have. The Houligans often stand mid-court, across from the team benches for home games, but the location varies by game.
History
The Houligans were founded during the 2009-2010 school year by a group of students who wanted to improve the atmosphere at Saint Francis sporting events, especially basketball games. The section made its unofficial debut in the 2010 home game against Indiana Wesleyan University, a game that the Cougars won 80-76, prompting the Houligans to storm the court in celebration.
The proudest moment for the Houligans came at the end of the 2010 basketball season when a group of students traveled to College of the Ozarks to watch USF play Walsh University out of Ohio in the 2010 NAIA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament championship game. Saint Francis won the game, 67-66. This game is considered to be one of the primary factors which put the student section on the map.
The 2010-2011 basketball season brought further success for the Houligan-backed Cougars. USF had the best start in the history of their program and won the conference championship for the first time, defeating IWU on the road. The Houligans stormed the court after the game, their second time doing so after a victory over IWU.
At the end of the 2011 season, the Cougars once again made it to the national championship game becoming just the second team in NAIA history to make back-to-back championship game appearances. Despite a strong Houligan backing, USF fell to Cornerstone University, 80-71.
The 2011-2012 season saw the Cougars and Houligans return to the conference championship, this time at Grace College. USF lost the game despite the Houligans out-cheering the Grace students. One Grace student tweeted after the game “On another note, 6 drunk USF students > the Grace student section”
The Houligans have seen a general drop-off since their founding, especially after the leader of the section, Travis Yoakum, transferred to a new school. Nonetheless, there are still a few loyal students who show up to games.
Traditions
Despite being a new student section compared to others around the country, the Houligans have developed several traditions since their founding.
Students tend to show up just before the game starts, and sometimes after it has already started. This is contrary to most other student sections, whose members generally show up well before the game is scheduled to start.
The Houligans often attend road games, going to games at Huntington, Grace, and Indiana Weslyan on a yearly basis. They have also made appearances at Bethel, Taylor, and Goshen. Upon arriving at the opposing arena, the Houligans often go out of their way to make their appearance known, such as holding up a whiteboard reading “Houligans are here” or cheering and screaming loudly as soon as they enter. They often out-cheer the home crowds by themselves despite having much smaller numbers.
Students in the Houligans often sing during games, with popular choices being Sweet Caroline, Seven Nation Army, Zombie Nation, I Want it That Way, If You’re Happy and You Know It (often augmented to “if you’re winning/losing and you know it, clap your hands,” to taunt losing teams as a game winds down), and the Spanish soccer chant Olé, Olé, Olé.
While most student sections focus only on men’s basketball, the Houligans are known for supporting all Cougar athletic teams, having made appearances at baseball, volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, and football games.
Rivalry with Indiana Wesleyan
When USF travels to Indiana Wesleyan, the Houligans often follow, and stand directly across from the road bench, right next to the IWU student section. While this section is reserved for general admission, it is often used as overflow for the student section, and thus causes the USF and IWU student sections to be mixed together.
Despite the two schools having a fierce rivalry, the students from both are generally on good terms with one another. The IWU athletic director commented during the 2013 game at IWU how much he loved playing USF because of the atmosphere and antics which the Houligans bring to the games. During the 2012 regular-season game at IWU, students from IWU and USF got into a dance-off during a timeout. The event was recorded and became popular among IWU students on Facebook.
Behavior and criticism
The Houligans are perhaps best known for their antics at basketball games. They have been known to stand so close to the floor that referees have had to order them back, chase referees up and down the court (particularly when they disagree with a call), mock opposing teams’ coaches during the game, chant obscenities to opposing players as they attempt free throws, and in one instance, run across the court during a timeout in an attempt to fight with an opposing fan. The first instance led the conference to add a rule forbidding students from standing on the court. Members of the student section dubbed this the “Houligan rule.”
The Spring Street Houligans have not gone unpunished for their behavior. In one game, members of the student section were thrown out. In another, a student was nearly thrown out for yelling an obscenity at a referee as he ran past. In 2010, students at Goshen College threatened to fight members of the Spring Street Houligans after the game. After a game against Marian University, angry parents confronted members of the student section, pouring a drink on one member and calling another “an asshole.”
Core
The primary members of the Spring Street Houligans are David Yoder, Ben Noble, Brian Bowers, Emmo Uber, and Kieran Barth. Travis Yoakum, one of the main players in the foundation of the student section, still appears at some games, but is no longer enrolled at USF.

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