Furman University has one of the best chants in college sports. It sends a very clear, explicit message to opponents.
Furman, a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina, has a total enrollment of just under 3,000 students. It is the oldest private institute of higher learning in the state and has been around since 1826.
The campus is known for its beauty and its ‘Paladins’ nickname is rather unique. Paladins, known more commonly as Christian knights renowned for their heroism, were originally twelve fictional knights of legend, the foremost members of Charlemagne’s court in the 8th century.
They are the only Paladins in college sports. But that is neither here nor there—
This is about Furman’s chant.
Furman football, which played its second game of the 2023 season in Columbia on Saturday, have some great lids. The all-white helmets feature the school’s purple ‘F’ logo on the side.
While the look is one thing, its message is another. Furman University is FU.
On the back of Furman’s helmets, they feature the saying: “FU all the time.” Yes, it is intentional.
The back of Furman’s helmets stems from a purposefully explicit chant down in Greenville. It is even led, on occasion, by university presidents.
The call-and-response goes like this:
FU one time…
FU ONE TIME!
FU two times…
FU TWO TIMES!
FU three times…
FU THREE TIMES!
FU aallllllll the time…
FU AAAAALLLLLL THE TIME!
Here is how it sounded before last weekend’s game at South Carolina:
Glorious. So intentional, yet so innocent by nature of the university’s name.
For a small school that most people may not know about, their chant says it all. They are letting their opponents know that they are out for blood and trying to F—urman them up.
Win, lose or otherwise, the Paladins are coming into your place or welcoming you into theirs with a chip on their shoulder and a bone to pick. FU not just once or twice or even three times. FU ALL THE TIME!