By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Terrin Waack)

Among the 101,323 people in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 26 was University of Alabama senior Rony Young. He was just another fan cheering on the Crimson Tide with his buddies during the University of Louisiana at Monroe matchup, but by the end of the game, Young was more than any ordinary guy. After the fourth quarter of that game, Young’s time in Bryant-Denny would never be the same.

Once it became clear Alabama was on its way to its 34-0 shutout, the student section started to fizzle out, but not Young and his friends. They stayed until the end and were rewarded for doing so. When the song “Jump Around” by House Of Pain came on, Young and his friends followed the directions and let loose.

“All my friends and I were happy,” Young said. “We were excited. We were dancing and jumping around and acting like fools.”

That’s when the Jumbotron camera first caught Young in action. It would pan to Young and his friends, then pan away, but it would keep coming back and each time, zooming in closer and closer on Young specifically.

“I guess maybe I was the most enthusiastic of the group,” he said. “I’m not sure, but eventually it got to where it was just me.”

Because he got the most attention on camera, his friends messed around with him a bit the week after the ULM game. They told him the camera was going to pan on him at the next home game against Arkansas, but Young didn’t think it would happen. As a member of the University’s Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, he sits with his brothers in their designated block seating of Bryant-Denny each game, and the Jumbotron camera found him there once again the next week.

“It just couldn’t get enough of him,” fellow senior and DKE brother Luke Nixon said.

Young realized this was something that was going to continue to happen and has been trying to sit closer to the front in case the camera pans to him again.

“So if they do want to do it, I’m down,” he said. “I’m totally cool with it.”

That’s just how Young’s personality is. Nixon said it was no surprise that the crowd ate up Young’s dancing performances. He has that type of personality that would just go with it — no hesitation. 

“He’s always performed well in situations like that,” Nixon said.

People have yet to stop him while out and about on campus, but in his classes, his classmates and professors have made comments about the Jumbotron dancing. It’s all been very light-hearted and encouraging, though, which he is grateful for.

After games, it’s a different story. Nixon recalled after Young’s first appearances, there were a bunch of people that came up to him and high-fived him or shook his hand. It made him a little nervous at first.

Young said some people have even stopped him and asked for pictures.

“It’s kind of weird,” Young said. “It was kind of uncomfortable at first, but now I kind of just laugh and just try to be a good sport about it.”

It all happened quickly, he said, and now, he’s just going with it, so instead of ignoring strangers, he says hi to anybody that tries to get his attention. In the end, though, he’s just like any other student enjoying his time at an Alabama football game.

“I’m not trying to make a career or be famous being Dancing Bro,” Young said.

When he was a kid, Young’s mom had him in ballroom dance classes, but other than that, Young’s dance history is minimal. But he always did – and clearly still does – love to dance, especially at sock hops when he was younger.

“I was always the guy pouring sweat at the end of the dance because I just liked to dance and have a good time,” he said. “I guess now whenever the music comes on, I just do my moves the best I can.”

Young has moved on from the good old sock hop days but still dances in college – even when Jumbotron isn’t a factor. Nixon said Young dances at their different fraternity events, and if anyone deserved to be on the Jumbotron because of their dancing, it’s Young.

“I think Rony’s got everyone around him pretty much beat,” Nixon said.

A lot of people have told Young that he needs to up his dance repertoire, but he doesn’t have any plans to do …read more

Source:: The Crimson White Sports