In 2011, during St. Joseph’s struggling 7-19 season in men’s basketball, Temple’s student section, the Cherry Crusade, staged a memorable stunt aimed at their inner-city rival’s most cherished motto, “The Hawk Will Never Die.” 

Before the Feb. 20 matinee against St. Joe’s, they arrived early at the Liacouras Center dressed head to toe in black—wearing suits, dresses and “RIP the Hawk” T-shirts—and handed out matching shirts, funeral programs, flowers, veils and tissues, turning the arena into a mock funeral for the Hawk. [node:pullquote]It was Temple fandom at its finest and offered a glimpse of what can be expected from the Cherry Crusade—Temple’s official student fan section.

Since 2005, the Crusade has brought infectious energy, led chants and delivered creative stunts in support of Temple athletics. After witnessing a decline in participation following the 2020 pandemic, Temple is now actively recruiting more enthusiastic students to reignite the Cherry Crusade, build school pride and fuel home-field advantage.  

“The school rivalries have been diminished with all the conference realignment, so we want to bring that excitement back with old and new rivalries and make it even bigger,” said Katie Colbridge Ganzelli, STH ’16, ’19, Temple Athletics’ marketing coordinator for on-campus initiatives, who has made it her personal mission to bring the Owls’ student section back to its glory days.  

“We are reimagining what the Cherry Crusade is through finding really passionate students, especially those in their first years, who want to take leadership roles, expand the culture and keep the student section traditions alive throughout their time at Temple.” 

From being dressed and painted in all things cherry and white to leading chants, waving signs and rolling out witty messages down the arena aisles, she recalled that the Cherry Crusade alone was a spectacle. 

“It wasn’t hard for Temple students to fill the front rows of basketball and football games. They were excited to come to the games,” said Ganzelli, a member of the Cherry Crusade from 2011 to 2016.  

“Our rollouts, signs and chants would feed into that humor around opposing schools, their teams and general things happening in the world. Athletics would vet each rollout before games, so it was always in good playful fun. The Hawks’ funeral is one of my favorite memories; it’s a tradition that many alumni and people still remember,” Ganzelli added.  

The Cherry Crusade printed funeral programs with “In ‘loving’ celebration of the Saint Joseph’s Hawk 1956–2011” on the front and inside included a list of the date and scores from each of Temple’s previous eight wins against St. Joe’s at the time in 2011. (Photography by Joseph V. Labolito) 

Grace Sherlock, Class of 2026, was at Lincoln Financial Field when the Owls took on No. 7 Oklahoma. Despite the loss, she says the experience of being at the game was incredible. 

“The atmosphere at the Oklahoma football game was crazy. There were already some students painting their bodies in Temple cherry and white,” said Sherlock, who has been part of the Cherry Crusade since her first year at Temple. “A lot of the first-year students and other newcomers are showing up to the football games and it feels so exciting to be part of it.” 

Now, as part of the Cherry Crusade’s marketing e-board, Sherlock leads the organization’s social media and promotions, working with Temple Athletics and other large platforms to amplify the student section and reach a wider audience. 

She recalled that her favorite Cherry Crusade moment came during her first year, when Temple basketball upset No. 16 Villanova 68-64 on Nov. 11, 2022. The fans stormed the court twice that night—first with 0.2 seconds left, forcing everyone off the court, and again after the final buzzer. [node:sidebar_text] She rushed the court again last year during the white-out game, celebrating Temple’s 88-81 upset against No. 18 Memphis, which aired on ESPN2.

When not storming the court, she’s enjoying the clever rollouts that the student section has come up with, like one that read, “Can’t spell La Salle without all those L’s,” and another, “Where’s Jay Wright? Jay Left,”—a playful response to Villanova’s former head coach, who retired in 2022. Her favorite student section theme was the cowboy dress-up during Temple’s 2023 football game against Norfolk State.  

“We take pride in being good at chirping at our opponents and have a good time getting together to think of ideas for different themes, rollouts and chants, which really allow students to put their input into the experience of games,” she added. “Students who are part of the Cherry Crusade can also send us funny pictures or memes—like a trash can, a brick, or anything Philly-related like Hooter or Rocky—that we can turn into Fathead decals for them to wave at games.” 

This year, the Crusade has incorporated a point system that rewards students with prizes and a “Crusader of the Month” title based on how many Temple athletic events they attend. Basketball and football games earn one point, while less well-attended sports like tennis and volleyball earn students three to four points to encourage more fan support. 

“You definitely make more memories, experiences and connections when you put yourself out there and join the Cherry Crusade,” Sherlock added.  

Students interested in joining the Cherry Crusade can do so for free through its Owl Connect page. For more information or if you have any questions, feel free to send an email to [click-for-email] or a direct message to its Instagram account: @cherrycrusade.