Ad Disclosure
They say that holidays can bring out the worst in people.
I don’t know who says that, but I’ll agree to disagree.
Sometimes, Halloween can bring out the best in people. People are giving away candy (that’s a nice thing) and spending time with family trick-or-treating.
Or if they’re an SEC fan, they’re probably finding some way to make Halloween all about football. And sometimes, that yields the best costumes.
Take, for example, this costume.
Of COURSE a family of LSU fans did the old “Nick Saban is paying the blind refs” costume:
https://twitter.com/SDS/status/1057046230482800645
That’s creative because while the two costumes have been done separately a billion times, doing them together with the exchange of some cash puts it over the top.
What’s the best part? That costume was actually done last year. @Readmyshirt apparently made modifications to the costume this year for it to be even more topical.
Don’t get me wrong. The idea that Saban concocted a plan to pay refs for the targeting call on Devin White is crazy, but it’s classic SEC to see that conspiracy theory played out in a Halloween costume.
I imagine there are a billion people with the Saban costume on Halloween. After all, it is his birthday.
So yes, definitely dress your adorable kid up to look like the GOAT:
This week is off to a great start with this little Nick Saban ? Halloween costume!
Tag us in your best Alabama costume pictures and you could see yourself on here too!#BamaGameday #RollTide #Halloween pic.twitter.com/8q1oWTCigI
— UA Gameday (@uagameday) October 29, 2018
I would love to hear that he was such a perfectionist all Halloween. Better yet, that kid should only consume Little Debbies on Halloween.
And there should DEFINITELY be a Coke bottle on his desk all day.
Kids dressing up as coaches is money in the bank. Sometimes, though, it’s not done so much out of respect as out of trolling. Let’s not forget we’re talking about the SEC here. The likelihood that your kid is dressing up as a coach on the hot seat seems pretty high.
Check out this throwback of Will Muschamp at Florida from his final season in 2014:
@1010XL @pat_dooley Speaking of Muschamp… Happy Halloween! pic.twitter.com/vh8HiJ4R6G
— Dan Davis (@ddavisjax) October 31, 2014
That resume is awesome.
“Gator Head Football Coach — 2011 through this Sunday”
“Longhorns Presumptive Head Coach in Waiting and Defensive Coordinator”
“I played at Georgia — that should count for something!”
Muschamp was fired two weeks after Halloween, but the good news is that resume came in handy! He got the defensive coordinator job at Auburn and eventually the head gig at South Carolina.
And hey, Muschamp even had kids dressing up as him last year in his second season in Columbia:
Check this huge fan of yours out @CoachWMuschamp my son wanted to be coach muschamp for Halloween!! #spursup pic.twitter.com/B80g3STXKx
— McKinney (@uscfan10) October 30, 2017
Don’t get it twisted, though. Halloween isn’t just for kids. Adults can get in on the fun, too.
Take, for example, this couple from two years ago. A house divided decided to dress up as Saban and Gus Malzahn:
https://twitter.com/AllisonWatson37/status/794053844783300612
You’ll notice the Auburn clipboard says “sekrit plays.” Perhaps there’s some trolling there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were one of the fans who started a GoFundMe for Malzahn’s buyout, which was an earlier #ItMightMeanTooMuch.
Malzahn has an easy look to copy. I’m honestly surprised that the fan above didn’t rock the sweater vest, as well.
Remember when Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl did that a few years back?
Bruce Pearl dressed up as Gus Malzahn for Halloween. Awesome. RT @Riley_Mc: pic.twitter.com/4v1lSqhOoC
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 31, 2014
That’s so SEC to have the basketball coach dress up like the football coach. After the year the Tigers had on the hardwood compared to the start the football team is off to, maybe it’s Malzahn’s turn to dress up like Pearl.
But let’s be honest. Football-related costumes are the best. More specifically, college football costumes are the best.
You know what’s not the best? Targeting. A targeting costume, though?
This, from my SDS Podcast co-host Chris Marler, is perfect:
https://twitter.com/CMarlerSDS/status/1057453522248196097
The irony is, of course, that Marler is an Alabama fan, which means he’s actually the one benefiting from a targeting call this weekend (but he still hates the idea of Devin White getting suspended for a half).
Costumes can show fandom in a variety of ways. The same can be said for pumpkins.
Here’s a Jimbo-lantern:
https://twitter.com/AngeloTheAggie/status/1056523018506305537
Hold up. Am I the only one who thinks that looks more like Kirby Smart than Fisher?
Ah, either way, it’s a pumpkin of a coach who will be nipping at Saban’s heels for years to come. Probably.
Yes, Halloween is a chance to show our fandom in a creative way. Some do that with a hat tip to a coach, while others love the jab at the refs. However you do it, just remember to eat candy responsibly.
Oh, and don’t be as horrifying as this Florida fan:
Taking the Gator Chomp to the next level ? pic.twitter.com/6RULhFmJMq
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 27, 2018
If I missed any SEC Halloween costumes, tweet me @cjogara so that I can give it its proper due.
Well, unless your costume was like that Florida fan. That’s a little too scary for me.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
