James "Jim" Taylor Folse
October 21, 2008October 23
October 23, 2008
After Lardarius Webb, Mike Smith might be the most popular man at Nicholls State home football games.
However, John L. Guidry Stadium is not filled with Colonel fans wearing his replica jersey.
That is because he is not a player. Nor is he a coach, a school administrator, faculty member or alumnus.
His T-shirt proclaims him the “Colonels First Crusader.”
The fans have another name for the 59-year-old Thibodaux native who roams the sidelines holding up cardboard signs to the crowd every chance he gets – the First Down Man.
“It started off as a dare and now it’s a tradition,” Smith said. “I think we’re the only university in the United States that has a First Down Man. It’s kind of a different mascot.”
For 12 seasons, Smith has waved his cardboard signs, encouraging the fans to get louder at key moments in the game.
He carries two signs with messages on both sides of each: “First Down” and “Fourth Down” on one; “Touchdown” and “Turnover” on the other.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to use this one (the Turnnnover sign) because we (Nicholls) turned it over instead of getting turnovers,” Smith said after the Colonels’ 50-39 loss to Stephen F. Austin.
The sturdy colorful signs he uses now are a far cry from the beer carton he used when he became the First Down Man.
It started at a Colonels’ home game against Samford in October 1997, according to Smith.
Colonels’ public address announcer Mike Davis joined Smith’s tailgating party and National Football League referee Red Cashion was mentioned. Cashion, who became known to football fans for his drawn out “First Dowwwwn!” call, was retiring that year.
“Me and Mike started talking about how we’re going to miss him and his ‘First Down’ call,” Smith said. “So Mike says, ‘Every time the Colonels make a first down, I’m going to call it just like Red. I ripped off the side of an empty Coors Light carton and asked for a Marks-A-Lot. With a blue Marks-A-Lot, I wrote ‘First Down,’ and I told Mike, ‘If you do it upstairs, I’ll do it on the sidelines.'”
Smith thought that would be a one-game tribute to his favorite referee, but Colonel fans wanted more. The next week, Nicholls hosted Southwest Texas and Smith was not prepared to entertain his newfound admirers.
“Nicholls gets the ball and makes a first down. Everybody in this section (lower level near the north end zone) is yelling, ‘Hey, Mr. First Down Man! Where’s your sign?'” Smith said. “I told them that was a one-time thing for Red. Besides, it’s in my car and I’m leaving the game. They said, ‘No, you got to go get them. Go at halftime.’ So I went to the parking lot and got it from my car, and the rest is history.”
For Smith, being the “First Down Man” was not his first association with Nicholls State Colonels football.
As a co-owner of the original Bubba’s Restaurant and Sports Lounge with Norm Swanner, he became involved with the university when Swanner catered for the press box and the Century Club Room under Guidry Stadium from 1989 until about 1995.
Although Smith doesn’t take the First Down Man act beyond Nicholls, he does travel to most Colonels’ road games. Prior to this season, he usually only missed one road game a year and has attended all 11 games a few times.
“I’ve been to Oregon, Miami, Oklahoma, and Nebraska,” Smith said. “I haven’t attended any road games this year because my mother is very ill.”
When he is not rooting the Colonels to victory on the sidelines, he sprints behind the goal posts to catch Colonel field goal and extra point attempts.
Smith has admired every player that has come through the Colonels’ program. Some of his favorites include Broderick Cole (fullback, 2004-07), Brad Zeller (quarterback, 1995-98), Cory Vavala (linebacker, 2004-06), and Michael Young (defensive end, 2002-05).
However, it is his tight relationships with former and current Colonels’ coaches Darren Barbier (1995-1998), Daryl Daye (1999-2003) and Jay Thomas (2004-present) that allowed him access to the sidelines and the freedom to be the First Down Man.
Smith has cherished every moment as the First Down Man, but one stand out above all others.
“It was about five or six years ago,” Smith recalled. “I was tailgating by the baseball field after a game and I reached into the ice chest to grab a Coca-Cola. Looking out the corner of my eye, there was a woman staring at me with a little girl next to her, about six or seven years old. The little girl has a program and an ink pen in her hand and she asked, ‘Mr. First Down Man, will you sign my program?’ My one and only autograph in 12 years.”
There was a time when Smith wanted to be the First Down Man for 25 years before he retired the signs. But he would be 72 by then and he thought that was “pushing it.” He believes he can continue until he is 67, a mere 20 years.
No matter how long he goes on, being the First Down Man has brought Smith more pleasure than he ever imagined it could.
Even at age 59, Mike Smith has the energy and passion to get Colonel fans into every home game. He planned to be the First Down Man for 25 years, but he says 20 years seem more reasonable. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
