How long have you had your cowbell?

[bulldognation]

Mine turned 34 years old this season. Bought it at the MSU bookstore when it was on the bottom floor of the Union across from the bowling alley. It's one of the larger bells and is beaten up, got rust in some places and is covered in decals and "Beat ______" stickers, but still has the original clapper. It's seen a lot of good and bad over the years, and never once got taken up by security during the dark ages.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

Mine is right around 20 years. Either got it in 94 or 95

 

[BulldogBlitz]

Vintage 72.

....and when I'm in an antique store, I look for more (ours would be cool, but just a cowbell does fine).

 

[KentuckyDawg13]

26 years

edit, my math was way off...it's 39 years old. Bought it Sophomore year, 1985.
Being in the band (drumline), didn't really need one for games. Snare drum was loud enough.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Mine is right around 20 years. Either got it in 94 or 95

 

[Villagedawg]

Been in the family since my dad bought it on campus as a freshman in 1965. I gave it to my oldest son when he graduated. My personal cowbell my dad bought me on the side of highway 82 in about 1984. It survived many games including the Shane Matthews beat down on Thursday night and being confiscated at Tuscaloosa only to be borrowed by an MSU feature twirler for the halftime show at the '97 Egg Bowl never to be returned. My current one was gifted to me by the College of Education in 2018.

 

[Dawgzilla2]

Got mine in 1981. My dad bought it for me on the side of the road. The paint is chipped, it has a Walking Bully decal I put on myself, and the clapper has been replaced with a bolt and some washers. It's loud AF. I wouldn't change it for anything.

I bought a backup bell in the 90s, which was basically my subterfuge bell. Security could confiscate it while my real bell was buried deep in my backpack.

I quit sneaking my bell into stadiums after 9/11 and the appearance of metal detectors, so my backup bell sees very little action these days.

 

[The Peeper]

44 years next month, October 11 1980 to be exact. I came to Starkville to watch us play USM (got beat 42-14) and got it that weekend. The clapper has gone flying at least twice into the crowd below and been replaced. There is currently a big nut in it w/ the clapper holder thingy bent through the hole in the nut. The sides of the bell itself are bulged out where the clapper has struck it thousands of times over the years. There's a story that goes along with me acquiring it but I'm not sure the statute of limitations has passed yet so..........

I have my dads too that I got once he passed away, no idea how long he had it. I retired it and keep it on display at home but never take it to a game. Matter of fact I seldom take my 44 year old one anywhere. I've got a beater that I take to games. I took my 44 year old one to Austin when we played TX there in 1992 and they tried to confiscate it before I came in the gate, told me they would hold it there till after the game. "Uh huh, yeah right fake cowboy". I took it back to the car and then walked back to the game.

 

[macdaddydawg]

I got my "Bully Bell" for Christmas when I was 8. So, it's 42 years old.

 

[17itdawg]

I'd guess mine is around 30 years old. It's pretty beaten up. It's seen a lot of bad and some good teams.

 

[Darryl Steight]

My first bell was early 80's vintage, lots of well worn paint chips and game stickers, etc. It had the "we're #1" baseball sticker on it from '89. Made it through college years and beyond... then I left it under a table at our tailgate during a game in the last few years and some ******* *** hole **** bag ****** ****sucker stole it. **** YOU ******!

Luckily I have a forgiving heart and am not bitter about it at all.

 

[vhdawg]

I think my current one is from around 2009

 

[vhdawg]

Mine is right around 20 years. Either got it in 94 or 95

Look man I graduated from HS in 1994, and I'm afraid I might have some bad news for you

 

[DawgInThe256]

Pretty sure I bought it at Wal-Mart in Starkville before my first home game as a student, which would make it 38 years old.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

I think my current one is from around 2009

I, too, have a current one as well as a few others. Somehow, I forgot my bell at home in GA for an Egg Bowl so I bought a maroon one that I then only used when playing OM. The clanger in that one and my original have been lost. I now ring my Jack Cristil bell for I haven't figured out: 1) How to fix the others 2) Someone that could do that for me.


My original is 24 years old exactly. It was a tradition in my family that you never buy your first bell but it's purchased for you. I was a freshman in 2000.

 

[HotMop]

Mine turned 34 years old this season. It's one of the larger bells and is beaten up, got rust in some places and is covered in decals and "Beat ______" stickers, but still has the original clapper. It's seen a lot of good and bad over the years, and never once got taken up by security during the dark ages.

I get a new one after every loss. My collection is huge.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

Got mine my freshman year in 1992. Still has the original clapper but the bell is deformed from decades of ringing.

My dad had 2 bells from his time at State in the mid/late 60’s but lost track of them during a move in the late 90’s. I’m hoping they’re still in a box somewhere waiting to be found.

ETA - I bought my son his first at the start of his freshman year in 2020 and bought my daughter her first at the start of her freshman year this Fall. They’ve had “mini” bells since birth but these were their first real ones.

 

[MSUDOG24]

50 years this season. Bought it and decals in the old Union "basement" bookstore. Still has the "soak in water and slide off" decals. Tricky things to get them where you wanted.

 

[The Peeper]

Mine is right around 20 years. Either got it in 94 or 95

 

[Xenomorph]

Too long.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

1998, was given to me prior to the Cotton Bowl

 

[HailStout]

Been in the family since my dad bought it on campus as a freshman in 1965. I gave it to my oldest son when he graduated. My personal cowbell my dad bought me on the side of highway 82 in about 1984. It survived many games including the Shane Matthews beat down on Thursday night and being confiscated at Tuscaloosa only to be borrowed by an MSU feature twirler for the halftime show at the '97 Egg Bowl never to be returned. My current one was gifted to me by the College of Education in 2018.
View attachment 650885

I found that same sticker in my step dad’s garage and put it on my bell.

 

[Dawg1976]

1974. It sits in my trophy case in my den. He’s very lonely.

 

[jumpdawg]

Mine turned 34 years old this season. Bought it at the MSU bookstore when it was on the bottom floor of the Union across from the bowling alley. It's one of the larger bells and is beaten up, got rust in some places and is covered in decals and "Beat ______" stickers, but still has the original clapper. It's seen a lot of good and bad over the years, and never once got taken up by security during the dark ages.

Got mine in 86 as a freshman and daughter took it to games when she got there in 2020.

But I earned one last year by running away with the yahoo pick em contest. I’ll probably have another after the season.

 

[MStateDawg]

My original cowbell was purchased in 1991. I rang it all thru my youth and my college years, but I've since retired it and it just sits on my shelf as a display piece.

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

1971 bought during freshmen orientation in the Union bookstore. Original Go to Hell Ole Miss decal. Last used fall of 1975.
Saw a couple of old ones at the flea market this weekend, I suspect there will be many more on the shelves soon.

 

[Dawgbite]

My original bell , circa 1983, was an actual cowbell that hung in my grandparents barn. He was a dairy farmer but died in 1964 before I was even born. I welded a pipe on the end of it and drove a piece of radiator hose over the pipe for a handle. I soon replaced it with one that I didn't care if it was confiscated and it sat on a shelf in my dad's shop. I've had dozens of different bells since then. I have sport specific bells. I have bells commemorating milestones both personal and State related. I've even got a wearable bell on a plastic chain. I haven't seen the original in a while, I " think " it's in my shop on a shelf.

 

[BluffParkDawg]

Got mine when I arrived on campus, probably 96 or 97-ish. Probably bought it at the lodge. Still sounds better than most of the tin bells they sell today. My wife has the one her mom had when she was in school there, which was late 60s, early 70s.

 

[LandArchDawg]

My oldest one turned 25 years old this year. It got retired to decoration in its second year because it got cracked in that terrible 2000 home loss to Arkansas in the cold rain.

 

[mstateglfr]

Well hey- its 25 years old this fall! Got it when I started in '99.
I scratched some words off it about 10 years ago since my oldest kid wanted to take it to school for some sort of family history presentation. Besides that though, it lives a pretty chill life on a shelf.

 

[webedawgs]

My wife COWBELL is over 50 years old,, It definitely has a distinct clank. She was ringing it when Rocky Felker scored the two-point conversion against Memphis and she was ringing it last week at the Toledo game

Mine turned 34 years old this season. Bought it at the MSU bookstore when it was on the bottom floor of the Union across from the bowling alley. It's one of the larger bells and is beaten up, got rust in some places and is covered in decals and "Beat ______" stickers, but still has the original clapper. It's seen a lot of good and bad over the years, and never once got taken up by security during the dark ages.

 

[Popsee]

My wife COWBELL is over 50 years old,, It definitely has a distinct clank. She was ringing it when Rocky Felker scored the two-point conversion against Memphis and she was ringing it last week at the Toledo game

55 years got it at the union when the pool hall was still there .

 

[RocketDawg]

59 years old as of this fall.

 

[RocketDawg]

55 years got it at the union when the pool hall was still there .

50 cents/hour to play pool if I recall correctly. That would be over $5/hour these days. The also had a bowling alley.

 

[DeeEE!]

10 Years - 2014

 

[SchrodingersDawg]

I've never owned one. My wife has 2: one is about 38 years old the other about 10 years old.

 

[Maroon13]

Gifted: 1981. Although that one has been retired to office.

I bought a bully bell around 98 and still use it... when I can remember to take it.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

But I earned one last year by running away with the yahoo pick em contest. I’ll probably have another after the seseason.

I got one from the bowl score pickem. Really nice.

 

[bolddogge]

Back in 1996 I purchased 2 bells and some 1 inch square tubing from the Oktibbeha County Co-op. I did some cutting and had a guy weld it up where my dad worked to prevent the world from seeing my poor welding skills, had it chromed by a company that has since been shuttered by the EPA, added a Mack truck hood ornament from a salvage yard and wrapped the handle with a leather strap. It got me tossed out of it's first game twice; the '96 Bama. My now wife fished it out of the trash can where the security guard tossed it and we snuck back in a second time. As we were parading the goalposts around the field later that night I locked eyes with that security guard from about 20 yards away and gave him a quick salute as we went to cut it up. Since then, it's been signed by Jackie, Polk, Dak, Boobie, Eric Moulds, Madkin, and Mangum and shown on CBS prior to the 2014 Auburn game and in several hype videos over the years. I've not thought twice about taking it to every home baseball and football game I've been to since then... and that's been a lot. The signatures are fading and I'm thinking about retiring it just to preserve them. But what good is a bell if you don't ring it? What would you do with it?

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

My parents bought 4 for us children at Time Out Sports off Trrry Rd in south Jackson a couple of hours before the LSU 55-31 game in 1980. They have walking bully and original paint. I still have 2 of them.