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Otto’s Army often assembles campouts before Syracuse men’s basketball games. But this season, the student-run organization applied the concept to football.

For the first time in school history, Otto’s Army camped outside before a football game, a day prior to Syracuse’s matchup with Clemson on Saturday. Dubbed the “Clemson Campout,” the event began at 12 p.m., giving students participating early access to seating the next morning. The campout featured a wide variety of activities for campers to enjoy with their friends, as well as a few special guest appearances throughout the evening.

Otto’s Army President Greg Slodysko is confident events like these help increase engagement within the Syracuse community when it comes to sporting events.

“This is really going to get the student body to show up, and a lot of what makes the Dome what it is Otto’s Army,” Slodysko said. “And if Otto’s Army is showing up then we are going to get a lot of the locals in the Dome making noise.”

Typically, Otto’s Army hosts a campout exclusively for Syracuse basketball games against Duke. The goal for these campouts is to boost school spirit and support for Syracuse athletics.

Even though SU doesn’t play Duke on its home court in 2023-24, Slodysko felt confident the tradition will continue.

“The schedule just came out, that’s gonna be one of our hot topics in our next upcoming board meeting where we discuss what game we will be camping out for. We’ll definitely be camping out for basketball,” Slodysko said.

Otto’s Army put together their first campout of the season on Saturday. The “Clemson Campout” began with a poster-making session followed by a pizza dinner, delivered by Syracuse head coach Dino Babers. Babers extended thanks to Orange fans for their support.

Good Morning, Orange Nation. It’s Game Day in Syracuse, New York. Can’t wait to see all the students bring the energy. #DefendOurHouse pic.twitter.com/6PiZtcXdZZ

— Otto's Army (@OttosArmy) September 30, 2023

Slodysko believes expanding campouts to football, it becomes more likely that additional sports will be included in the tradition.

“This is definitely a step in the right direction, but I can definitely see us camping out at other sports in the near future,” Slodysko said.

The rest of the night was composed of music, outdoor games for the students to play and even a surprise appearance from Otto the Orange. The night ended with a Syracuse jersey giveaway, then campers settled into their tents until early the next morning.

Syracuse student Ian Hooks described his campout experience as an all around success, especially because of his past camping experience.

“I was really excited just about the campout in general, I’ve been a scout my entire life so getting back in a tent felt amazing,” Hooks said. “It was honestly kind of warm too, which I’ve heard has not been the case, especially for Duke games in February, so that was really nice.”

On gameday at 7 a.m., the campers enjoyed Otto’s Army-themed donuts from Dunkin Donuts. Some donuts had the organization’s logo placed on top of their frosting and others had “Beat Clemson” papers attached to them.

After dressing for an “Orange-Out” in the student section, groups of students lined up outside the student gates to the Dome at 8:30 a.m., and gained entry at 9 a.m. As the first fans inside, the campers picked wherever they wanted to sit. Most decided to sit in the front row of the student section.

“(Otto’s Army) just being here and spreading this message is going to get a lot more people in the Dome,” Slodysko said.

While the campout didn’t translate to success for the Orange against Clemson, it helped build anticipation for an important point in the team’s season and created special memories for those who took part.

”I feel like it was totally worth it to be out here early and get front row seats for the biggest game of the year, and it was really fun,” said SU freshman Jameson Bodenburg. “There was a lot of school spirit (during the camp) and everyone is ready for the game now, so I would absolutely do it again.”

Published on October 1, 2023 at 10:02 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu