I've seen on TV this year a school using a cannon. Didn't catch the school, but wonder what is the backstory of why did ROTC get bounced from using the cannon?
Anyone know why ROTC cannot use the cannon anymore?
- Thread starter MilwaukeeBoilerFan
- Start date
Good Gosh! You are right. That is where I saw it. Get M. Bobinski to have the Cannon back in the Endzone.
Likely an Attorney scared Purdue “Safety!” Ringing a damn bell isn’t close to having the cannon blast for TD.
I recall, maybe incorrectly, that the alum’s were complaining about the noise!
If you recall, it was VERY loud (I was at the Nevada game, and the howitzer Purdue used for a short while was much louder than the cannon at Nevada). I don't think it was the people at the games who complained; it was the people in Hills and Dales and surrounding neighborhoods.
Although a return appearance was planned for this fall in Ross-Ade Stadium, safety and liability concerns have forced athletics administrators to eliminate the cannon that was fired after the Boilermakers scored in games during the 1998 season.
The 75 mm howitzer became a fan favorite two years ago. Plans were in place to bring back the howitzer for the six-game home schedule.
After a number of test-firings and discussions with Purdue safety officials and the insurance company that provides coverage for Ross-Ade Stadium, a decision was made to discontinue the budding tradition.
"To many fans, the howitzer occupied just that small space in the north end of the stadium," said Jay Cooperider, director of communications for the Purdue Athletic Department. "To our insurance carrier and to administrators in the department, it occupied the whole stadium because the sound of the blast fills the entire stadium."
During test-firings, sound readings were taken throughout the stadium. Some of those readings were found to be in excess of accepted standards for sound that can damage hearing. Further, the area immediately in front of and to the sides of the barrel of the howitzer would have to be cleared of all players, officials, cheerleaders and others before the howitzer could be fired.
"With several of our games set for regional or national television, we would have had a much greater challenge in clearing people from the area in front of the gun," Cooperider says.
The Purdue Army ROTC and the Indiana National Guard provided the howitzer in 1998 and again this fall for testing.
"We appreciate the hard work by the ROTC officers and cadets to make this happen, and the Indiana National Guard for providing the howitzer," Cooperider says. "We had hoped the howitzer could make a return and become a regular part of the rich tradition of Purdue Boilermaker football."
To me that test was useless, firing the cannon in an empty stadium due to the canyon effect. Would have to test fire it with the stadium full to accurately measure the sound!
The 75 mm howitzer became a fan favorite two years ago. Plans were in place to bring back the howitzer for the six-game home schedule.
After a number of test-firings and discussions with Purdue safety officials and the insurance company that provides coverage for Ross-Ade Stadium, a decision was made to discontinue the budding tradition.
"To many fans, the howitzer occupied just that small space in the north end of the stadium," said Jay Cooperider, director of communications for the Purdue Athletic Department. "To our insurance carrier and to administrators in the department, it occupied the whole stadium because the sound of the blast fills the entire stadium."
During test-firings, sound readings were taken throughout the stadium. Some of those readings were found to be in excess of accepted standards for sound that can damage hearing. Further, the area immediately in front of and to the sides of the barrel of the howitzer would have to be cleared of all players, officials, cheerleaders and others before the howitzer could be fired.
"With several of our games set for regional or national television, we would have had a much greater challenge in clearing people from the area in front of the gun," Cooperider says.
The Purdue Army ROTC and the Indiana National Guard provided the howitzer in 1998 and again this fall for testing.
"We appreciate the hard work by the ROTC officers and cadets to make this happen, and the Indiana National Guard for providing the howitzer," Cooperider says. "We had hoped the howitzer could make a return and become a regular part of the rich tradition of Purdue Boilermaker football."
To me that test was useless, firing the cannon in an empty stadium due to the canyon effect. Would have to test fire it with the stadium full to accurately measure the sound!
Wasn’t the athletic dept just bragging about how loud the new train horn was? Seems incongruous with this story.
Bring it back! Fired up the crowd like nothing else could and made memories that could never be forgotten. Few stadium-related decisions could be as impactful. Make it happen!
Appears to me that a real rest study should be done in the stadium throughout the season. Mike Bobinski is in charge and he can determine if ROTC is competent enough to safely do it. If so, run it for several games to see in real situations the audible dB levels how it sounds. If anything, the big games on TV will get attention.
Maybe this is not feasible but could a smaller (ie, less loud) explosive charge be used for the cannon? Seems like we should be able to tailor the charge for how loud we want it to be. Or would a smaller charge not necessarily be less loud?
Maybe I’m dreaming but I remember a lesser canon they tried. Sounded like a cap gun. Not quite the same impact.
