What is Ka-Rip?

December 14, 2004

Baptists speaking in tongues? No, it's just Ka-Rip! Annoying to rivals, Ka-Rip! is a spirit chant yelled especially by OBU fans and cheerleaders during basketball games. New students learn the yell during orientation and try it out during the first concert of the year the night before classes begin.

Ka-rip Ka-rap Ka-riplo typlo tap Oh! Oh! Rincto lincto hio-totimus Hopula scipula copula gotimus Chink-to-lack Chink-to-lee Ka-willa, Ka-walla, Ka Victory Oh! Oh! Hoogula choogula choogula can. Ragula tagula melican man Let'er go rip, let'er go ruse Tingula Tangula, turn'em a-loose Zip! Bang! OBU!

However, it's not enough to learn Ka-rip. You must be able to memorize it and blurt it out quickly. Ka-rip masters can spill the entire cheer from their lips in five seconds with discernable enunciation. Wannabes typically mutter "Chick-fil-A" and "peas and carrots" several times before cutting loose with a spirited Zip! Bang! OBU! Such people are made sport of by the Ka-rip masters at coffee houses throughout America.

Nothing vexes opposing basketball fans like Ka-Rip. For fun, pick a designated non-Karipper among the OBU faithful to count the number of opposing fans straining to make out the words during the cheer.

Over the years, many have theorized where Ka-Rip came from. Was it first discovered on cardboard found among crop circles behind what is now Taylor Residence Center? Is there any shred of truth that a sophomore first penned it in the middle of a blue book (and attributed it to Dante, no less) to make the essay portion of his Civ final look longer? And who really is the Melican Man?

In actuality, Fred McCaulley, OBU class of 1920 and later the director of public relations, is credited with the origin of Ka-Rip on campus. Forty-six years later, Dr. McCaulley received the Alumni Achievement Award having founded and directed the Southern Baptist Tentmakers program and worked as a field worker for the Home Mission Board. Ka-Rip was probably at its height in 1966 when McCaulley was being honored, as the Bison basketball team was on its way to its only NAIA national championship.

"The first instance I have seen it in print is the first Green Book which was published for the 1925-26 school year," says OBU archivist Tom Terry.