Hardin-Simmons head football coach Jimmie Keeling gathered the team around following the program’s first practice since the 1964 season. HSU did not field a football team from 1964 through 1989, so not many on the roster likely knew about the traditions of the older teams. No one knew how the previous teams ended football practice. Did they have an acronym or a saying they used?

According to legend, defensive coordinator Bill McKinney, one of four full-time coaches on staff in 1990, stepped forward. The former Marine spoke to the team about how the Corps uses the phrase “Oorah” to provide motivation. The team chose to honor the Marines and their Cowboy heritage and adopted the phrase “HOOYAH.”

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“HOOYAH” had already become the team’s tradition at the end of practice before Jesse Burleson arrived for his freshman season in 1995. Burleson has spent only six years away from the Hardin-Simmons football program since 1995. Not only is Burleson the face of the Cowboys football program, but he is the epitome of what it means to be a member of the Hardin-Simmons football team.

However, being a football coach wasn’t Burleson’s dream job. Jesse Burleson wanted to be a sniper in the military. Although his eyesight and hearing were not up to the standard for a sniper, he developed a deep respect for the military. He utilizes many of the techniques used by the military during boot camp to build his teams into a cohesive unit.

“I have so much respect for what our military does, and more importantly, how they do it with organization,” Burleson said. “There are different roles, but everybody has a role and a job, and they understand the importance of each role to accomplish the mission. I’ll watch films and documentaries, read a book, or listen to anything I can find about the military to see how that can help our guys in terms of discipline, working together, teamwork, and leadership. I’ll steal anything from the military that fits and helps us work together."

Considering his love of the military, it’s no surprise that Burleson loved “HOOYAH” and kept it as a tradition when he became head coach in late 2010 after learning of the ties to the Marines “Oorah” and the Army’s “Hooah.” That’s not the only military tie you will see from Burleson’s teams.

The Cowboys' special teams units are called “QRF,” which stands for Quick Reaction Force in the Army. The QRF is tasked with quickly responding to developing situations.

“If somebody asked me, ‘Hey, do you want to run down on the kickoff team, or do you want to run down on the bomb squad?’ Put me on the bomb squad,” Burleson said. “It’s a mentality, and I want our guys to understand they’ve been chosen to be in those units. Some programs treat special teams like a negative, but not here. The starters on our QRF units are considered a starter.”

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“HOOYAH” is ingrained in the Cowboy football culture. Spend any time around the football program or browse their social media accounts; it won’t take you long to spot the phrase. It’s even seen on T-shirts and other apparel around campus, or as a tattoo. Just don’t ask anyone what “HOOYAH” means because it can’t be explained until you’ve experienced its power.

“It’s funny because you try to explain it and can’t. It’s ingrained in each player as soon as they get here, but they don’t truly understand until they’ve been in the mix,” Burleson said. “Whenever adversity strikes, and something doesn’t go our way - whenever things get hard, you’ll hear our guys say it continuously.”

The Cowboys use “HOOYAH” in the same manner as the phrases “Oorah” and “Hooah” signify a bond of brotherhood and a willingness to fight together in the Marines and Army, respectively.

“We can handle anything, and we can handle it together,” Burleson said. “It’s about sticking together and overcoming adversity. We try to do that in every phase of life. It’s the spirit of family here and then a toughness to overcome bad situations.”

Burleson has noticed the phrase spread outside the athletics department to the rest of the university in recent years.

“It’s kind of spread to everybody,” Burleson said. “I think that’s pretty cool when you see our general students, who aren’t athletes, wearing “HOOYAH” shirts. They’ve bought into the mentality, and that’s a pretty cool deal.”