“Boomer” The Original Touchdown Cannon
The Citadel tradition of firing cannon shots to celebrate a touchdown began in Johnson-Hagood Stadium at the September 29, 1956 football game against Davidson College.
When a cheerleader asked Cadet Clarence Criswell, ’58, to fire his small brass Lyle gun he kept in his room in the barracks, Criswell agreed. After the Bulldogs scored, Criswell and his friends fired a reduced charge, which created a lot of smoke but not much noise. The crowd cheered and the cheerleaders asked Criswell to make the next shot louder.
The next time the Bulldogs scored, a full charge was fired. The shot was so loud that the stadium shook and people reported hearing the explosions as far as five miles away. After the 34-7 victory over Davidson, the assistant football coach who had agreed to allow the cadets to fire the cannon was furious, but Citadel President Gen. Mark W. Clark conveyed his congratulations and asked that the cadets fire the cannon at all of the games, and the tradition was born.
In April 1957, Criswell and his brother Lt. Grover Criswell, ’55, presented the cannon to Gen. Clark and The Citadel. Today, “Boomer” leads the cannon procession to all home games and booms whenever the Bulldogs score an extra point after touchdowns.
A Lyle gun is a line-throwing gun used for rescues by the US Coast Guard and US Lifesaving Service. The gun carriage was made by Janson Cox, ’63.