The legacy of the Rat Pak scampers on

You see them. You hear them. They are a staple at every game. It’s the Rat Pak, CSB/SJU’s own student-led hype group.

This mysterious group of men clad in red, white and Johnnie blue mill through the tailgates and football game crowds.

The Rat Pak has been a long-standing presence at SJU sporting events.

From their rocky start in the 1950s to their mysterious reemergence in the 1990s, the Rat Pak has been a pinnacle of St. John’s athletics.

They bring the high energy to every game, from football, to soccer and even to an alumni swim meet.

The secrecy of the Rat Pak is what makes it so special.

No one knows where they come from or where they go. Each member’s identity is kept a secret, and each is given a brotherly name—an ode to the monks and Benedictine tradition on campus.

Their clothing is passed down from generation to generation of Rats, and their initiation process is a mystery to everyone except those that have experienced it.

Every year, the Rats initiate a new generation of Rats—those who are energetic, crazy and full of spirit at games. However, you should never ask a Rat to become a member of the Rat Pak, as this automatically keeps you from ever becoming one.

The Rats have been on campus since the 1950s but were riddled with controversy surrounding vulgarity and unsportsmanlike conduct to the opposing team and fans.

For a while, the entire student section was the Rat Pak, known simply at the time as the “Rat Section”.

The influence of the Rats runs deep, as they even helped change the SJU mascot from the blue jay, to the rat.

However, because of clashes with the campuses, the Rats had to reform their code of conduct and died out for a few years in the 1980s.

Their reemergence in the 1990s came with several changes. A sobriety policy was enforced, and vulgarity ceased.

Since then, the Rats have coexisted together peacefully with both schools.

As an SJU grad and current athletic director, Bob Alpers has seen a lot of Rats come and go throughout the years.

“I am a huge fan of our Rats. I’m a 1982 grad, and in those days, everyone in the student section was considered a Rat,” Alpers said, “Our students provide the greatest home field, court, ice etc. advantage in the MIAC. Their enthusiasm is infectious.”

The Rats have changed tremendously throughout the years in the ways they engage with the fans and the opposing team’s fans.

“I think they’ve done an admirable job of finding that fine balance of incredible support and firing up our students without stepping too far over the line. They may push that line, even take a step of two over it, but testing boundaries is a big part of college life,” Alpers said.

As the athletic director, Alpers has many fond memories of the Rat Pak over the years,

“In 2019, we had young kids dress like Rats and come out and join the Rats on the sidelines or under the basket. Our guys have been kind to the children, and it’s been so much fun to watch them help create the next generation of Rats.”

Students on campus have all become accustomed to seeing the Rats at games.

Every Johnnie football weekend, the pictures come flooding in of all those who posed with the Rats, sometimes holding the Tommie leg, or having the Rats do funny poses.

“I love how energetic they are at seven in the morning,” junior Kendall O’Leary said at the latest Johnnie football game.

Junior Anne Bowe agreed.

“They bring a lot of energy,” she said. “They make the SJU environment. They get everyone hype, and the best feeling is getting a picture with the Rat Pak,” senior Trayais Bowe said.

“They’re just very chaotic and it makes it very entertaining,” junior Lauren Dueland said.

As for the Rats themselves, they love doing what they do, “We like to make appearances at as many big sporting events as possible to help generate hype and excitement for the athletes and fans,” Brother Mayer, a psuedonym of a Rat Pak member, said. “A goal of ours is to say and do funny and unusual things that people
will find entertaining, but some people just think we’re weird.”

The Rats engage with fans of all ages, from children to even the Johnnies’ oldest fans.

“We love to engage with not only students but alumni and younger kids as well. Lots of young kids look up to us at sporting events, so we like to talk to, play catch with and take pictures with as many of the young Johnnie fans,” Brother Mayer said.

“For me, my favorite part about being a part of the Pak is putting a smile on people’s faces and being a source of comedic relief during big events,” Brother Mayer said.

The smiles they bring to fans are the best part of the jobs.

The Rats have been through many ups and downs, but through it all they have prevailed as a recognizable icon on campus.

From the games they attend, to the tailgates and other events, the Rat Pak brings a friendly energy that just about all ages of Johnnie fans can get behind.

Between to their appearances in the Coborn’s shopping carts at halftime, to the t-shirt cannon and free Gary’s pizza, the Rats elevate the football experience and bring an energy that no other university can rival.

“I think everyone that went to school here and went to sporting events has a little bit of Rat in them,” Alpers said. The rats are here to stay.