In the Bullpen
by Davina Schrier
Cowbells, fatheads, spirit bibs, Microwave the Cat, long horns, Tifo, beach balls – these are all part of your regular vocabulary and what you have prepared for the next Omaha Athletics game when you are a Maverick Maniac.
Maverick Maniacs are a spirited group of University of Nebraska at Omaha students dedicated to promoting school pride and supporting the university’s athletic teams. At games, you will find them cheering with their Maverick-themed props and attire in the student section aptly named “The Bullpen.”
UNO graduate and Maverick Maniac founding member Joe Hagerty describes the group as “the boisterous, energetic bunch that starts the cheers and the chants and keeps up the energy at the sporting events and represents the epitome of a Maverick.”
Like many student-led organizations, it began with a small group and a common passion.
“I had a group of friends that wore black and red Morph suits and sat in the front row of the sporting events and started a few cheers, rang cowbells and kind of acted crazy and energetic,” said Hagerty.
After Hagerty’s fellow founders graduated he led the group to become an official club through the student involvement office. With the support of university marketing for recruitment and their contagious energy, the organization gained momentum.
“It went from just a few of my friends to over 100 people. Consistently, we were going to all the soccer games, we were going to the volleyball games, we were going to the hockey games,” said Hagerty.
The full-body covering Morph suits changed to black-and-red striped “spirit bibs” but their traditional half-time cheers and penalty chants became a well-known staple at athletic events. Other Maverick Maniac traditions that remain are rooted in legacy.
“There had been a group called ‘The Bullpen’ years before I came to UNO,” Hagerty explained. “People knew about it that were alumni. They were excited to see a new group start that was going to try to continue some of the same traditions that were started when ‘The Bullpen’ was around.”
Hagerty and friends named UNO’s student section in their honor.
“It paid homage to the previous student section organization, but also gave us a name to rally around and kind of to identify with.”
Their evident personality grew into a well-known reputation.
They are known for being “silly and crazy and kind of spontaneous and funny” as described by Bill Pickett, director of UNO’s Office of Spirit, Tradition, and Signature Events.
Pickett helped Hagerty guide and grow the Maverick Maniacs, serving as the group’s advisor during his first stint at UNO through mid-2021. He has watched the group evolve from a few rowdy students into school spirit leaders and UNO ambassadors.
“They’re getting the community that’s there watching the sport involved as well. Whether that’s throwing t-shirts out or using the megaphone or getting people to do cheers,” said Pickett.
They are also highly dedicated to their cause.
“We’ve had games where it’s raining and 35 degrees outside for soccer and Maniacs are there,” said Pickett.
Their Maverick Spirit and loyalty elevated UNO’s image when they were named the National Collegiate Student Section Association’s “Loud and Proud Best Student Section of the Year” in 2017.
Members of the club have an affinity for UNO and Omaha Athletics but being a sports fanatic or extroverted isn’t a membership requirement.
“If you’re a person that’s more behind the scenes and you would like to develop signs or be a part of the marketing and the social media, you don’t have to be the loud obnoxious student at the games,” said Pickett. “You can do other things to kind of advance the organization and be a part of their mission.”
Some involved are looking for a place where they belong.
“People who maybe couldn’t find their home anywhere else, they would find our group even if they didn’t have an interest in sports,” said Hagerty. “Because they felt like they belonged or that they mattered, they then became a sports fan.”
This describes UNO graduate Brittany Kohl’s experience. She didn’t attend athletic games. In fact, she wasn’t involved in any student organizations or activities.
“I have Cerebral Palsy and use a wheelchair in my everyday life. I was the girl who was so timid that I’d be terrified when someone would even say ‘hi’ to me,” shared Kohl.
This changed when she met and became friends with Hagerty. He encouraged her to get out of her comfort zone and join the Maverick Maniacs. Kohl’s college experience became full of social activity and purpose. She found a community that she has kept beyond her time as a student.
“I met some amazing young women at that time, one of which is still my best friend to this day.”
It also led her to pursue a master’s degree at UNO in student affairs.
“It truly made me the young woman I am today,” said Kohl. “I found myself and my heart through UNO Maverick Maniacs as we built university traditions as a family together.”
One of those traditions is experienced during hockey games when the Maverick Maniacs cover the entire student section with a Tifo, a large black banner emblazoned with the Durango icon and “UNLEASH THE FURY” in bold letters. The text accurately describes the atmosphere and palpable excitement as students underneath shake the fabric to Kernkraft 400’s “Zombie Nation.”
Another fond tradition is traveling for away games to cheer on their beloved Mavs.
“My favorite memories will always be the spirit trips,” said Michaela Blaney, UNO graduate student and current president of the Maverick Maniacs. “Being in a different city, having experiences and making memories with your friends.”
Hagerty recalls bonding events they hosted to build camaraderie amongst members, getting together for dinner, pregame parties and tailgates.
The network isn’t just fun and social; they focus on academics too.
“We get together during finals week and we kind of push each other on our studies,” said Blaney.
Pickett said that research shows students are more likely to succeed in college because they feel like they belong.
“If you’re getting involved in organizations, you’re making friends, you’re finding other people like you, you’re creating your own community within the campus community then you’re more apt to graduate because you feel like you’re a part of where you’re at,” he said.
Pickett returned to UNO in 2023 to lead student involvement activities on campus. Maverick Maniacs is one organization that he and Blaney are focused on rebuilding after a lull during the Covid pandemic.
“We have a lot of ambitions and goals for this fall,” said Pickett. “Six months from now, you’ll probably notice that there’s been an increase of Maniacs involved.”
Looking ahead, Maverick Maniacs are excited to be among 500 UNO students attending Volleyball Day in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 30. They plan to begin recruiting new members at the beginning of the Fall semester, aiming to reinvigorate their ranks and their impact on the UNO community.
WE WILL CHEER SO ALL FANS WILL KNOW
BE IT WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW
EVERYONE FOR OMAHA
WE WILL FIGHT FOR UNO!
GO MAVS!