Duke basketball’s sixth man: Colorful tradition of the Cameron Crazies
When Lefty Driesell returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium as the head coach of Maryland in the 1980s, the 1,200-person Duke student section greeted the former Duke basketball center by wearing bald caps, a not-so-subtle nod to his thinning hair.
And when Mike O’Koren and UNC made the trip to Cameron Indoor, the forward earned the nickname “Oxy 10 poster boy” from the same relentless crowd taking up Section 17 of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“He had a rather unfortunate bout of acne, and we were all over that,” said Kim Reed, Duke class of 1986 and one of the creators of Krzyzewskiville, better known as K-Ville. ”I look back on it now and I think, ‘Oh my God, that was so mean, I would never do that now.’ We did it with impunity back then.”
A Frankenstein hand gesture was created for one Tar Heel player, with students sticking their arms straight out and moving them up and down to mimic the gothic monster walking. Reed could not recall the player’s name, but instead recalled his clumsiness – along with his square head and shoulders that resembled Mary Shelley’s infamous creation.
Such is the mischievous creativity and unrelenting energy that has defined the Cameron Crazies for decades, one of the most notorious student sections in college basketball that makes Cameron Indoor Stadium one of the toughest venues for opposing teams.
Much of what the Crazies did back in the 80s still lives on today, with each new group adding their own flair on one of the university’s most enduring traditions.
“It’s like a sixth man on the court,” Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster said. “When we got us and then them, it’s hard to beat us here.”
An inside look at the Cameron Crazies
On game days, and sometimes the day before, the Crazies check in at 7 a.m. for a spot in line with line monitors ― the group of students responsible for managing K-Ville, where students tent out for up to six weeks a year leading up to Duke’s regular-season finale versus UNC. While not everyone has to be in line until two hours before tipoff, each group must keep a minimum number of members in K-Ville through the day to hold their spot.
Once inside, students receive their “dirt sheets,” single pages packed front to back with chants and anything and everything to know about the opposing team. Line monitors typically create the dirt sheets, sending out blank copies two days before games with most of the work happening the night before or the morning of. For marquee matchups, like Duke vs. UNC, submissions for the sheets are opened to the broader student body.
The dirt sheets contain the usual “Let’s go Duke!” “Goooo Devils go,” “Here we go, Devils, here we go!” and “Let’s go Devils,” each with its own designated hand motion or claps. When a team commits a turnover, the Crazies repeatedly scream “You let the whole team down!” Or when a ball is kicked, they break out in “Ole, ole!”
“You say the first part of the chant really loud and do the hand motion for whatever it is super exaggerated,” said Claire Raney, one of two head line monitors this year alongside Aidan McCarthy. “And you just hope that people catch on and join in.”
They also live up to their name, divulging personal information on opposing players. This can range from hometowns and high schools to phone numbers, astrological signs, relationship status and sometimes even parents’ places of employment.
“Dirt sheets are always fun,” McCarthy said.
Dirt sheets were not around when Reed was in the student section. They were introduced some years later.
All eyes on the Crazies
From full-body paint in blue and white, complete with blue wigs and devil horns, to striped overalls in school colors, the student section shows up in full force for every home game.
Some attire carries history, such as Raney’s Duke blue boxing robe that is handed down from previous members. McCarthy wears a baby carrier, holding baby Cammie – a 19-year-old plastic baby doll that has been passed down from line monitor to line monitor each year – dressed in a blue Duke cheerleader outfit with blue devil horns drawn on her head. The name is a play on Cameron Indoor and a homage to Dick Vitale and his “Oh, baby!” catchphrase.
Every time the Duke band plays Awolnation’s song “Sail,” McCarthy tosses up baby Cammie into the air.
The outfits aren’t limited to just Duke colors, either. Reed’s daughter, Erika Pietrzak, who graduated from Duke in May 2025, dressed as a yellow banana in the student section.
“She was the little blonde girl that wore the banana costume in the front row,” Reed laughed.
Signs are another signature element. For Duke’s Valentine’s Day clash with Clemson, signs read “You set my heart on Scheyer” and “Ngong-Bae.” For the Boozer twins, one read “Booze Your Daddy.”
