By Tom Herman
My first road trip was to Cincinnati for basketball in their old gym while I was in college, 1968-73. We tried to get there every year.
At the time, some venues, including Cincy, allowed air (Freon) horns, if you can believe it. (Freedom Hall did as well.) We had a relly loud heavy chrome beauty that could flat sing! You could partially cover the opening with your other hand and get all kinds of weird noises … almost like Hendrix getting feedback out of his guitar! We also added variety by hooking up a pair of tuned horns like the trucks have.
We tried to be sensitive to those around us and pointed the horn(s) upward. Nevertheless, that first blast would bring a few out of their seats!! (We’d warn fellow Card fans, but not the rival fans.) Honks on the highway out the window when passing fellow fans was, of course, in order. We did a couple football trips to Cincy, as well.
First job being out of town put an end to those shenanigans, but marriage brought me back to Louisville a few years later. Kids kept me off the road until the ’93 Liberty (Ice) Bowl. We’ve been to evey football bowl since except the ’99 Humanitarian (Blue) Bowl and the second GMAC Bowl (2003?) Having a horn for these events would have been fun, but I’m sure they’re banned everywhere now.
Speaking of the affinity license plates, I was told by the Alumni Office five years ago that Louisivlle outsold all the others, including UK. At the time, 20,000 UofL plates were sold. At $10/year going to UofL scholarships, that’s an extra $200,000 for some deserving students, plus a classy statement on my “semi-naughty” Volvo (2.5 Turbo ’04 V70….yes it’s a wagon, but that turbo has humbled a few surprised UK competitors).