How Daniel Faulkner became Mississippi State’s most recognizable fan

STARKVILLE – It began as an informal journey to the shop. Daniel Faulkner entered The Lodge in hopes of discovering a “cute little outfit” for his niece. The Mississippi State costume he stumbled upon match the invoice, however then one thing caught his eye.

Faulkner was searching for a hat so as to add to his assortment when he observed a maroon headband with a white M-over-S emblem on it.

“I’d look form of cool in that,” he thought to himself. 

So he purchased it.

The headscarf complemented his tank prime, which began as a joke. Faulkner had been chosen as “Dude of the sport” at a recreation in opposition to Oregon State in 2020.

Tasked with selecting a prize, Faulkner’s eyes instantly gravitated towards the merchandise he was least possible to make use of.

“Tank prime,” Faulkner mentioned. “Summer season, child. Let’s go.”

The headscarf and tank prime have since develop into a part of MSU baseball fan lore, catching the eye of the ESPN broadcast in opposition to Notre Dame final season and gaining steam because the Bulldogs marched to their first nationwide title.

Mississippi State was crushing the Irish in scorching situations, and the TV crew observed Faulkner again within the entrance row of the proper subject berm. Faulkner’s telephone started to fill with notifications from family and friends seeing his face on their televisions. The legend of the Occasion Berm Squad was born.

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Household issues

Faulkner’s dad graduated from Mississippi State in 1989. His mother went to Texas A&M however earned her masters at MSU.

By way of his household’s strikes to Dallas, New Orleans and Houston, implementing a maroon and white fandom into Faulkner maintained. Mississippi School and A&M had been in consideration, however the place Faulkner wound up for for school was hardly up for debate.  

“It was all the time going to be State,” Faulkner says.

His first recreation at Davis Wade Stadium got here as a toddler in 2007 – a win in opposition to Gardner Webb. He drove to Columbus, Ohio, in 2018 together with his grandmother and pa to look at Mississippi State ladies’s basketball fall quick within the nationwide championship.

Mississippi State sports activities had been a cornerstone in Faulkner’s life, however enrolling within the fall 2018 and dwelling the truth of being a scholar felt surreal. He attended as many sporting occasions as he might, shifting as shut as a freshman might to the entrance row.

When he didn’t have mates to go along with in the course of the heights of Vic Schaefer’s tenure at MSU, Faulkner joined his grandmother who had seats to look at her favourite program.

“(Life) was all the time maroon and white,” Faulkner mentioned. 

Entrance and middle at Dudy Noble

Faulkner, like many sports activities followers, dreaded what got here with the preliminary COVID-19 outbreak.

“Are we ever going to have sports activities once more?” he thought.

Mississippi State ladies’s basketball was en path to internet hosting NCAA Match video games whereas the boys’s staff was making a late push for the postseason. Baseball was anticipated to have one other Omaha-worthy season.

After which it was gone together with a piece of Faulkner’s faculty expertise.

Faulkner attended soccer video games in 2020 when college students returned to campus, however the expertise was nothing like pre-pandemic.

So when baseball returned in 2021 and elevated crowds adopted, Faulkner’s good friend Walker Phillips inspired their mates to line up early and attempt to sit collectively within the entrance of the berm each recreation.

That meant maneuvering by others – even the dreaded freshmen – making an attempt to grab their spot.

They sat up entrance as crowd restrictions loosened. They constructed their fame as postseason play rolled by. Ultimately, they made their method to Omaha to look at the nationwide championship.

Faulkner thought again to his grandmother, an MSU tremendous fan, who died in 2020 and by no means received to see State win a nationwide championship. He thought again to when sports activities had been taken away.

He knew he was dwelling a second many longed for.

“We did the rattling factor,” Faulkner mentioned. “It was only a entire move of feelings. I didn’t know what to do.”

Sustaining a tradition

Faulkner graduated final week with a level in historical past. As prepares for a job, the Florida collection two weeks in the past was his final as a scholar.

Within the collection finale, he put the scarf on as soon as extra and broke out the sweaty tank prime he vowed to by no means put on once more.

Three days after the collection finale, he exited the bathe and noticed a Twitter notification awaiting him. Mississippi State baseball had put collectively a video with footage of Faulkner within the stands as he defined what Mississippi State meant to him.

A plethora of affection got here Faulkner’s approach, together with a response from coach Chris Lemonis.

“Daniel and his crew are what make the Dude particular,” he wrote. “And he’s at each sporting occasion. We are going to all the time have a spot on the berm for you.”

If Faulkner takes Lemonis up on the provide, it’ll be behind the berm, he mentioned.

Sitting within the entrance row is reserved for present college students, and as an alumnus he considers himself no exception.

“I by no means meant to construct a tradition,” Faulkner mentioned. “Now that the tradition is constructed, I need the tradition to be continued by children who’re at school.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat author for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or comply with him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.