During the upcoming men’s basketball season, the Long Beach State student section, known as the Monson Maniacs, will welcome visiting teams to the Walter Pyramid with its new T-shirt tagline: “We make your life a Beach!”
With the addition of a student leadership team, the student section is looking forward to expanding its number of Maniacs.
Three years ago, the Monson Maniacs were created to increase the number of student supporters after the high-profile hiring of men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson. The LBSU athletic department designated a student section of the Pyramid to the Monson Maniacs.
Despite a difficult first year with a record of 6-25, more than 600 students still supported the team.
During the 2008-09 season, the student membership increased to more than 1,200 crazed Maniacs as they pushed the team within a breath of the Big West Conference championship.
“The most important thing to a basketball team is to go out and see their fellow students supporting them,” Monson said. “We have the best student section in the Big West.”
With the increase of student support, Marketing Director Dedan Brozino decided to focus the marketing plan to what the students want. A student leadership team was created for students who want to volunteer and become a bigger part of the Monson Maniac program.
“This is the first year that we’re really letting go of the reigns a little bit and handing it over to the students, and letting them run the Monson Maniac program,” Brozino said. “The students are playing more of a prominent role in the group.”
In the past summer, students had the chance to submit and choose the new Monson Maniac T-shirt design and tagline. Fifteen shirts were submitted and Monson chose the top three submissions to be voted on by students. The winning design won by 39 percent of the vote, with a two-toned colored shirt with yellow on the right side and black on the left.
The winning tagline, “We Make Your Life a Beach,” won by more of a landslide with 57 percent of the student vote. The tagline is located on the back of the shirt.
“I do love the quote on the back,” Monson said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s about students being fun and funny and having great times at games.”
First team All-Big West sophomore Larry Anderson not only loves the new shirt, but also the students who wear it.
“The Monson Maniacs are very inspirational as far as [being] game-changing, at times,” Anderson said. “When we are struggling as a team, we get uplifted from the fans. They are a pretty big part of our success.”
On top of being the official sixth man of a 49er game, Monson Maniacs also receive many privileges throughout the season. At every home game, students have the chance to win up to $1,000 cash during an in-game shot challenge. During this season, students will also have opportunities to win prizes such as JetBlue tickets, Metro PCS pre-paid phones and iPods.
For the first time in Monson Maniac history, students will be able to enter the Pyramid 90 minutes before game time to heckle visiting teams or to just enjoy the new pre-game student lounge.
Free to all Maniacs, the lounge will be located on the concourse of the Pyramid, and include music, food, drinks, Red Bull, candy and other pre-game activities — all donated to LBSU by its sponsors.
“Because those first two years were so strong, it’s allowed us to do the student lounge and the 90 minute pre-game early entry,” Brozino said.
Brozino and the student leadership team have also made it a goal to reach more than 2,000 Monson Maniacs this season.
“I think 2,000 fans are doable this season because the difference between the first year and the second year was huge,” said Anthony Olton, senior co-president of the student leadership team. “We have a really strong nonconference schedule with Duke, Kentucky, Notre Dame and Texas, so people are going to be really excited to see our team on national TV.”
Monson Maniac registration is $5 for the shirt and all the student benefits. Sign-ups will start in September and students may register online at MonsonManiacs.com. The shirts will be handed out Nov. 14 during the tailgate of the men’s homecoming game.
“There’s nothing more refreshing than sitting there chanting with the other Monson Maniacs, while making the visiting team’s life a living hell,” said junior Bernice Embry, who’s never missed a home game as a Maniac. “Those are the moments us Monson Maniacs live for.”