Football Cheers: 40 Chants for Cheerleaders, Students and Fans

Few things in American sports are as loud and fun as a football crowd. Cheerleaders lead chants from the sideline, student sections answer back and the whole stadium joins in on third down. Here are 40 football cheers sorted by situation, from traditional favorites to simple call-and-response chants any squad can learn quickly.

Replace "[Team]" with your school or mascot name, and "[color]" with your school colors.

Offense cheers

1. "First and ten, do it again!"
2. "Push 'em back, push 'em back, way back!" (traditionally for defense, but crowds love it)
3. "Move that ball, down the field, [Team] offense, make 'em yield!"
4. "Go, fight, win!"
5. "Hey hey, ho ho, down the field we go!"
6. "Run it up, run it in, [Team] offense, go and win!"
7. "Touchdown, [Team]! Let's score!"
8. "Gain that yard, hit 'em hard!"
9. "Pass it, catch it, take it to the end zone!"
10. "Let's go, [Team], let's go!" (clap-clap, clap-clap-clap)

Defense cheers

11. "Hold that line!"
12. "D-E-F-E-N-S-E, defense, defense, take it away!"
13. "Push 'em back, push 'em back, waaay back!"
14. "Sack that quarterback!"
15. "Big D, little fence!" (holding up a "D" sign and a fence sign)
16. "Stop 'em, block 'em, hold 'em, defense!"
17. "Get that ball, get that ball, [Team] defense, stand tall!"
18. "Fourth down, let's go, [Team] defense, stop the show!"
19. "Steal that ball!"
20. "Wall of [color], hold 'em back!"

Touchdown and celebration cheers

21. "Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? [Team]!"
22. "That's alright, that's okay, we're gonna win it anyway!" (use only in good fun)
23. "T-O-U-C-H-D-O-W-N, touchdown, [Team], do it again!"
24. "Score, score, we want more!"
25. "Hey, hey, what do you say, [Team] scored another touchdown today!"
26. "We are proud, we are loud, we are the [Team] crowd!"

Crowd and spirit chants

27. "We've got spirit, yes we do! We've got spirit, how about you?" (one side of the stands challenges the other)
28. "[Team]!" / "Fight!" call-and-response between cheerleaders and fans.
29. "Everywhere we go, people want to know who we are, so we tell them..."
30. "Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar, all for [Team], stand up and holler!"
31. "Hey, [color] fans, on your feet!"
32. "Let me hear you say [Team]!"
33. "Our team is red hot!" (classic, works with any color)
34. "Be aggressive, B-E aggressive!"

Sideline cheers for kids and youth teams

35. "Who rocks the house? [Team] rocks the house!"
36. "Hands up high, reach the sky, [Team] players, give it a try!"
37. "Pass it, kick it, we're unstoppable!"
38. "Big team, big plays, [Team] wins today!"
39. "Clap your hands, stomp your feet, [Team] can't be beat!"
40. "Ready? OK! Go, [Team], go!"

Famous college football traditions

Some of the most memorable chants and traditions in American sports come from college football:

• "We Are... Penn State!" – one side of Beaver Stadium shouts "We are," the other answers "Penn State," with over 100,000 fans joining in.
• Texas A&M's Yell Leaders – instead of cheerleaders, the Aggies have student "yell leaders" who lead hand signals and yells, and fans stand for the entire game as the "12th Man."
• "Hook 'em Horns" – Texas Longhorns fans raise the famous hand sign.
• Wisconsin's "Jump Around" – between the third and fourth quarters at Camp Randall, the whole stadium jumps to the song.
• Florida State's War Chant – the stadium chants in unison with an arm motion.
• "Boomer Sooner" – Oklahoma's fight song plays again and again after scores.

Tips for leading a great cheer

• Keep it short – cheers with a simple rhythm are easier for the crowd to pick up.
• Use call-and-response – getting fans to answer back raises the energy.
• Time it right – lead offense cheers when your team has the ball and defense cheers when the other team does. Stay quiet when your own offense needs to hear the snap count.
• Use signs and motions – big cards with key words help fans read along.
• Stay positive – good cheers support your team rather than mocking the opponent. Many schools have sportsmanship rules about crowd chants.
• Project your voice – cheer from the diaphragm and use megaphones in large stadiums.

Safety for cheerleaders

Cheerleading includes stunts, pyramids and tumbling, which can be risky without proper training. Squads should work with certified coaches, use mats, warm up properly and follow the safety rules of their state high school association or governing body.

Pick a game to practice your chants at in Clemson vs South Carolina, one of the fiercest rivalries in the South, or find out which sports are in season right now.