gamedaytraditions
TIPS paint up like the goldfellas Alumni and current students alike are invited to join up with the Goldfellas, who meet at the W21 parking area before every home game. Here’s some insider tips from Ghetto Buzz himself. Arrive on time, two and a half hours before kickoff. You’ve got to allow time to paint up and let it dry before the walk to the stadium. Achieve full coverage. Don’t forget the backsides of your arms, armpits, sides of your stomach, back of your ears and chest directly below your neck. Come prepared. Have a few ideas for your Goldfellas face in case your top choice is taken. The face you choose is yours for your entire Goldfella career, so choose wisely!
the goldfellas The Georgia Tech Goldfellas, a wily bunch of superfans in wigs and yellow body paint, first appeared at the 1998 homecoming game against the University of Virginia. These days, their ringleader is a character named Ghetto Buzz, who came on the scene around 2001. Ghetto Buzz filled us in on his and the Fellas’ game-day rituals.
W
hen Tech has a home game, the Goldfellas’ day begins at 7:30 a.m. Af-
ter several hours of tailgating, about two hours before kickoff, the painting begins. We all paint ourselves. The first coat is a nice yellow lather applied all over the upper half of the body, making sure that none of our skin is showing. Next, our designated “stripers” stripe the arms of each Goldfella with four black stripes. After everyone is striped, it’s time for the most important part of the painting process: the faces. Each Goldfella has a unique face-paint design. Whenever a member graduates, we retire his face; right now we’re working on a book of all the different faces, to make it easier to keep track. Once that’s done, each Goldfella grabs a wig and six pom-poms: two for their front side, two for their backside and one for each hand. The final component to the painting process is the letter on each Goldfella’s chest. When we all stand in a row, it spells out a word or phrase, different for every game. This is generally based on seniority—the guys that have been “painting up” longest usually get the first letters. Once the letter is painted on, glitter is sprinkled onto the wet paint and the march to the stadium begins. We march from our tailgate location to the corner of Boddy Dodd Way and Techwood Drive. On the way, all the Goldfellas sing Georgia Tech fight songs and I lead various other Yellow Jackets cheers. When we arrive, I lead the pack in a quick chant followed by a run up Techwood towards the North Avenue gate on the south side of the stadium. Once inside the stadium, Goldfellas all stand up in the front row throughout the game. We stay until the last second on the clock has expired, all the while cheering on the Jackets as they march up and down the field. We have a few chants we use every game: Tech’s two fight songs, “Don’t Send my Boy to MIT,” “Clemson is a Redneck School,” and of course the “What’s the good word?” chant. It is completely free to join the Goldfellas and it’s open to all Yellow Jackets fanatics. Be sure to look out for us during the games—we’re hard to miss.
Photos courtesy of Archives and Records Management.
GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 88 NO.3 2012
0 6 1