On November 11, the football team of my alma mater, DePauw University, will go up against Wabash College for the 129th Monon Bell Classic.
You’ve probably never heard of this rivalry (unless you are from, or currently reside in, the Midwest US), but to students and alumni at these schools, it is a big deal.
The winner of the game not only gets bragging rights, they also get to take home the trophy — a 300-pound bell.
There are some great stories over the years about when one school has stolen — or attempted to steal — the bell from the other.
Most recently, in 2017, some Wabash students attempted to steal the bell from DePauw, but a 300-pound bell isn’t the easiest thing to steal (and they were from Wabash, so naturally, they failed1).
But thinking about the Monon Bell game got me thinking about rivalries — and pranks.
And when I read that the “Phoenix Five” had one of the best college pranks of all time, I thought, “Who are the Phoenix Five?!”
I was curious…
Our story of the Phoenix Five begins in California, in the lead up to “The Big Game.”
That’s the name given to the college football match-up between Bay Area rivals, the Stanford Cardinal and the California Golden Bears.
The “Big Game” began in 1892, and is one of the oldest rivalries in the US.
The rivalry involves a lot of trash talking between the two schools – and its fair share of pranks, like stealing banners and street signs.
But in 1998, five students from Cal Berkeley took the pranks to a new level.
That’s when they stole something precious to Stanford –
The Tree.
They didn’t steal an actual tree, but a costume of a tree that was used as Stanford’s mascot.
They hadn’t set out that night to steal The Tree – and would call it a “crime of opportunity.”
On the evening of October 16, 1998, five frat boys from Cal Berkeley went to Stanford, just to see what kind of prank they could pull.
It was a Friday, and when they arrived they discovered that “Cardinal Chaos” was happening – the first practice for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
They decided to stick around, and pretend to be Stanford students enjoying the celebration.
But later that night, opportunity struck.
The five Cal students saw Chris Henderson, the Stanford student who wore the Tree costume at games, loading the costume into a car.
And they decided to follow him.
Henderson (and The Tree) drove to Stanford’s Band Shak, a storage facility for the marching band, where a much bigger party was going on.
In the wee hours of the next morning, the five students from Cal (later referred to as “The Phoenix Five”) returned to the Band Shak – and decided to make their move.
“We had no clue whether there were people still inside the Band Shak when we returned there around 4 am,” said one of the Cal students, who was only identified as “Mr. Orange.”
“We knew that the band was having a party there after the basketball event, so of course there could still be passed-out drunk Stanfurd2 Band members inside after that party ended.
“I remember lots of nerves during that time, when we really couldn’t be 100% sure that there were no people left inside the building.”
But when The Five got inside, they found The Tree – and quickly stuffed it into their car and headed back to Berkeley.
They stored the ten-foot, 45-pound costume in their fraternity house – and waited (in the pre-social media era) for word to get out that The Tree was missing.
Stanford students and campus police suspected The Tree had been taken by their rivals, and began looking for clues on Berkeley’s campus.
After Stanford revealed their beloved Tree had been taken, the Phoenix Five decided to have a bit of fun with their hostage.
The Phoenix Five (identified by their pseudonyms: Mr. Black, Mr. Green, Mr. Orange, Mr. White, and Mr. Yellow3) began sending ransom notes to Stanford in the form of letters written to Cal’s newspaper, The Daily Californian.
“I’m having a great time in Berkeley! I never want to go back!” The “Tree” wrote.
“We had a lot of fun writing that first letter, in the persona of The Tree, trying to trash Stanford in the best way possible,” Mr. Orange said.
But not everyone found the prank funny.
“There is nothing about this that’s a joke,” said Stanford police captain Raoul Niemeyer, who claimed the prank would be treated as a felony.
Stanford wanted The Tree back – and Tim Harrington, a Stanford Business School graduate, offered a $5000 reward for its safe return.
“In the interest of good sportsmanship – and the welfare of trees everywhere – we want to help free The Tree,” Harrington said.
The Phoenix Five delivered a letter on October 23, promising to return The Tree unharmed before the 101st “Big Game” – which was scheduled for November 21st.
They provided a photo of The Tree – blindfolded, but unharmed.
Cal chancellor Robert Berdahl set an October 28 deadline for The Tree’s return – and said Cal’s mascot Oski the Bear would not appear at Cal’s events until Stanford’s Tree was returned safely.
The Phoenix Five announced (by fax) their intention to return The Tree.
“Gone are the days of healthy rivalry in which students of opposing schools could pull pranks on each other in the name of school spirit,” they wrote.
Two days after the deadline had passed, a representative for the Phoenix Five called the Cal Chancellor’s office.
The Phoenix Five agreed to return The Tree that day, in exchange for amnesty.
With the terms agreed, at 4 pm on October 30, an unidentified person returned the costume to Berdahl’s office, and a campus police officer immediately escorted The Tree to the Stanford Police Station.
The Stanford Daily reported on November 2 that both Stanford and Cal administration and police considered the matter closed, and would not seek to punish the Phoenix Five, whose identities were still unknown.
“We’re delighted that The Tree is back in its rightful home,” said Stanford Dean of Students Marc Wais.
“We will not take any further action.”
Captain Niemeyer said that Stanford Police “had identified one guy” and were closing in on the rest – a claim the Phoenix Five refuted.
None of them were arrested or publicly named. Two members of the Phoenix Five did identify themselves to the Daily Cal, but even the 2008 interview with Mr. Orange did not reveal his real name.
The Five achieved their goal of stirring up the rivalry – and having a bit of fun.
As for Stanford, the reunion between Tree costume and Tree wearer was described by Henderson as “bittersweet.”
“I’m happy that it’s back,” he told the Stanford Daily.
“I’m sad it’s been contaminated by being on the Cal campus for two weeks.”
And the feeling that The Tree had been contaminated was shared by others.
Just one week after The Tree was returned, the Cardinal band destroyed their mascot by putting it in a tree shredder during halftime of the Stanford – USC game.
“I’m sure the process was a quick one, and the suffering was minimal,” said Mr. Orange.
“I still don’t understand why they’d do that to their own mascot, but nothing really surprises me about Stanfurd or its students.”
Cal may have scored the biggest prank in 1998, but Stanford won the Big Game that year, 10-3.
One more thing…
It’s not easy being green.
To earn the honor of wearing Stanford’s Tree costume, students compete in “Tree Week” every February.
It’s a contest where apparently anything goes, as one previous contestant showed his commitment by covering his back with leeches, while another bit the head off a live snake.
The Tree Week winner is tasked to make his or her own outfit from scratch, which explains why there has been so much variety in Tree costumes over the years.
Here’s a piece by The Stanford Tree from 2000-01, who impressed the judging panel by hang gliding from a campus tower and then leading 200 people in a choreographed “Thriller” dance.
And to be fair, here’s One More Thing about Cal…
What’s “The Play”?
If you want to make friends with someone from Cal, just mention “The Play” — the infamous winning moment from the 1982 Big Game.
Watch this short clip to see the incredible moment (and the most exciting commentating I’ve heard in a long time!).
Hehehe!
Apparently referring to Stanford as “Stanfurd” is a classic insult Cal students use
Perhaps the Phoenix Five were inspired by the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs?
Recent Writing
Pop culture continues to inspire — and remind us how important communication skills are!
Did you hear about the $78 meal at Newark Airport? It was followed by an “apology” that wasn’t worth $78. Columnist David Brooks is #sorrynotsorry.
A Lesson on Apologies from Drew Barrymore: Drew got herself into some hot water, and then got out of it (sort of).
The Communication Lesson Joe Jonas Needs to Learn —Oh Joe, I wasn’t a Sucker for your PR campaign.
How Can I Help?
I’ll keep saying it: Communication matters.
(If you’re not convinced, read any of the three stories above!)
Poor communication costs you — money, relationships and your reputation.
But if you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap significant benefits – from performance and culture to retention and engagement – by improving their communication.
So, if you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
You can also see my Top 10 list of what I can (and can’t) do for you here.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Until next time, Stay Curious!
-Beth