In 1984, in the third quarter of the Washington State game, some fans began to yell “start the wave,” and after a couple of feeble attempts, it took off and created the first Big Orange surf, rolling around the stadium, making at least a dozen ovals before a big play halted it. The wave is thought to have begun in American-League baseball stadiums. An article earlier in the season in the Knoxville Journal had described the phenomenon at baseball games and suggested that it could be employed in Neyland Stadium.