Memory Lane: Oozeball

In 1987, the Student Foundation came up with the idea for a fundraiser. The event would be an intramural volleyball tournament with a twist - it would be played in the mud. 

“Instead of just a regular volleyball tournament, we decided to make it more interesting,” said former co-chairman of the Oozeball committee, Bill Poston.

The night before the tournament, the organizers dug a 1ft deep pit and filled it with tons of dirt and water.

“Part of the fun was just building the pit,” Bill said.

Images courtesy of the Texas State Pedagog

The tournament was successful, sparing one major mistake. The foundation was able to score Procter & Gamble, the makers of Tide detergent, as their sponsor. The company donated $2,500 to underwrite the event and make t-shirts, but unfortunately the Student Foundation spelled the sponsor’s name wrong. The white shirts advertising the misspelled “Proctor & Gamble” in huge letters was a major embarrassment to the one particular alumnus that had arranged the donation.

No one involved can remember who won the Oozeball tournament, but everyone remembers the fun. Today, the mud pits and misspelled shirts are a fond memory of those who participated. Plus, they raised hundreds of dollars for student scholarships!