The Frontiersmen, with their long white coats, red button-down shirts, Wrangler jeans, and cowboy hats are a familiar fixture on the sidelines of Cougar football games at Robertson Stadium.
"Our objective is to increase student participation in UH athletics by promoting school spirit at UH sporting events, and increase athletic awareness on campus," first-year president Matthew Galipp said.
Galipp is the latest in a long tradition of supporting UH.
The Frontiersman group was established at the University in 1948 "as the result of a concentrated effort to promote more school spirit within the student body," according to the organization’s Web site.
The group encouraged students to excel in academics and attend and cheer on the University at athletic events and extracurricular activities, such as Frontier Fiesta.
The Frontiersmen lay dormant for years before its restoration in 1992, but three members of the Sigma Chi fraternity established what is now one of the organization’s trademarks in 1990.
UH head football coach John Jenkins and quarterback Andre Ware, who won the Heisman in 1989, felt the football team needed a symbol at games. The oil siren was chosen because of the University’s involvement in the petroleum industry and to represent the "Air Raid" style of offense UH employed.
The oil siren, known as "The Blaze," was named after a fallen Sigma Chi brother and University supporter David Carl Blazek. The siren is sounded after the Cougars score a touchdown and during pre-game parades. In the fall of 1991 a new siren was purchased in his honor.
In 1992, the fraternity brothers "re-established the rituals and by-laws of the Order," according to the organization’s Web site, and incorporated the Blaze into their tradition. After selecting five more members, the revival was complete and the members collectively became the "Original Eight."
Today, the Frontiersmen anchor and lead the pre-game parade alongside the Spirit of Houston Marching Band, team mascot Shasta, cheerleaders and Cougar Dolls.
During the game, the Frontiersmen stand on the sideline and celebrate after each Cougar touchdown, by running a Texas flag and University of Houston flag across the field. Originally, only the UH flag was included, but the group added the Texas flag in 1996 after UH became the first school to represent Texas in Conference USA.
The Frontiersmen are involved not only in the University, but also in the city of Houston. The organization participates in various area events, including The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Houston Alumni Association and Cougar Cookers.
"I want to continue to achieve the standards set before me," Galipp said.
