By KATELYN STEADMAN
Student Reporter
A group of men got together to support the Rangers in the 1999 NAIA National Championship football game. They painted their faces and decked out their clothes to show off their team pride. They drove over 700 miles from Alva to Savannah, Tenn., to see Northwestern win their first national championship title in football. After returning from that game, those same men decided Northwestern needed a spirited fan group to rally behind the campus football team. They’ve become known as the Rowdy Rangers.
The purpose of the Rowdy Rangers is to support all NWOSU athletics. According to Bryce Benson, a member since 2007, the Rowdy Rangers started as a football-based support group, but they are now much more than that. The Rowdy Rangers now support each athletic team and each student at Northwestern. They are there for school spirit, to support each and every NWOSU student and to encourage each of those students to do hisor her best.
The Rowdy Rangers show their love for Northwestern and its students by cooking at numerous events for the university. They cook all the food throughout Howdy Week, on Assessment Day at the homecoming alumni association and any other events Northwestern calls on them to do. They also cook at every home football game and at least one game for each sporting event throughout their season.
The Rowdy Rangers have over 70 members. Thirty of those members still live close to Alva and about fifteen members cook at the events each time. The Rowdy Rangers are not strictly an alumni group, but each member does his share.
There are a few requirements that come with being a part of the Rowdy Rangers. New members must be invited in by a current member; must be over 21; and cannot be a current Northwestern student.
Once joining, each person must donate $100 each year. The money helps provide the food served to the students at each event. The money also helps to fund a $350 scholarship that is given to an NWOSU student each year.