The ‘Naked Guys’ bring raw energy to games

Noise makers, shakers, foam fingers, signs and banners. And the BCM’s “Naked Guys”? To the crowd, they just look like ordinary college students dressed in painted on shirts and shorts or jeans. But to coaches, players, the student body and the group themselves, they are a support system that is making a comeback.

The “Naked Guys” aren’t new to campus. Over three years ago, the old group was shut down due to misconduct at a game. But the new “Naked Guys” are making the name known once again.

“(Senior) Lucas Hickman and I kind of put this group together,” said Drew Holland, sophomore psychology major of McCrory. “It’s more of Lucas’ baby. He’s really the one who got us all together at the beginning of the year and got people interested in this group.”

The group restarted as a couple of BCM members and has grown into about 25 members. The “Naked Guys” reemerged at the first home football game against Memphis.

“Lucas and I asked people at the BCM and a few others to come out and join us for the first game,” Holland said. “The first time it took us about an hour and a half to two hours to get painted and to completely get ready for our appearance. It was a lot of fun and I think the fans were pretty excited to see us. It was just something different.”

The group doesn’t only consist of BCM members. Some members have since started going to the BCM after joining up with the group. One member, junior interdisciplinary studies major of Cabot, Taylor Burrington said he joined the “Naked Guys” after going to the BCM for a while.

“The guys are all really awesome and energetic,” Burrington said. “I’ve really gotten a chance to become great friends with these guys because of the group and now that I’m going to the BCM with most or all of them.”

Holland and Burrington both agree that the BCM is a great support system for the “Naked Guys.”

“They don’t actually sponsor us but they reimburse us for some of the paint costs,” Holland said. “And about eight girls from the BCM help paint us and come up with slogan ideas. We’ve also gotten faster at getting painted since we’re kind of used to it. Now, it may only take 45 minutes to get painted up.”

One of the main reasons the “Naked Guys” came together was to support ASU’s sports teams and to get students and fans as pumped up for the games as they are.

“We really don’t want the group to start and end with us,” Burrington said. “We want to continue to grow and recruit new guys to the group. Really we want to make the student section as proud of our team as we are. We want students to go crazy for ASU. It’d be really cool to come back after I graduate and see how much the ‘Naked Guys’ has grown and to see how much our student section has grown.”

The “Naked Guys” have tried various types of paint to cover their chests and stomachs with. They found acrylic paint mixed with lotion would almost fall off when they got in the shower.

“Dear God. It was so hard to come off at first,” Burrington said. “Sometimes I still struggle to get some of it off.”

“With the older paint we used, it would flake off during the game and you would literally stand in the shower scrubbing it off until all the hot water was gone and even then you still wouldn’t get it all off,” Holland said. “We’ve definitely learned from experience.”

Although the group has gone to many football and basketball games, Burrington said his favorite experience was at the GoDaddy.com Bowl in January with the slogan “Who’s your Go Daddy?”

“We were all so pumped for the game,” Burrington said. “The players and coaches told us they appreciate our spirit at every game. Bryan Harsin actually came over to us and told us how excited he was to coach our football team next year and that he hoped we would all be there with our painted shirts next season.  All around it was just a great game.”

Holland hopes they can recruit more guys for next season and is even hoping of putting a video together to get more people interested.

The “Naked Guys” are open to anyone who wants to be a part of the group. They only ask that future members act responsibly and appropriately.

“Everyone’s been really great,” Holland said. “BCM has been great with us, too. And the coaches and players love our spirit so we really want to continue this tradition even if those members that are in it now have graduated. We just want this to spread and keep going.”