They're Duke's sixth man--its fans, known as the Cameron Crazies. The Crazies didn't get their nickname sitting down (something no self-respecting Duke fan ever does, except at halftime). Instead, the Cameron Crazies are known for their volume and their cheers. They're not only loud, they're creative: where do you think the "Airball" chant began? Or the "See ya!" shouted at opposing players who foul out? Right here in Durham, of course!

Duke undergraduates do get a few small perks in return for the nearly $30,000 they shell out yearly in tuition. One of these is free admission to all Duke sporting events, including men's basketball games. Unfortunately, there aren't enough seats in Cameron Indoor Stadium to accomodate all of Duke's approximately 6,000 undergraduates. So the seats go on a first come, first serve basis, and Duke students come early. For the biggest game of the year, against the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, they'll camp out more than a month for seats.

Duke mothers everywhere fear that their young basketball fans will catch a deadly disease by sleeping outside in January, but Krzyzewskiville (as the tents that spring up around Cameron prior to a big game is called) is organized: 10 people maximum in a tent. Most of the time, only one member of the tent needs to be on hand to make checks, allowing his or her friends to attend class or sleep in their dorm rooms.

Once the game begins, the Crazies are on their feet from start to finish, encouraging their Blue Devils on to victory with some of the best cheers anywhere, often made up on the spot. For example, in one, Duke fans noticed a member of the Upstate Allstars team wearing his hair in dreadlocks, and began a "You shot the sheriff" cheer. The player began laughing and double clutched his shot. In another recent episode, Duke fans disrupted the game of an opponent who was wearing his socks up to his knees with constant chants of "pull your socks down!"

Perhaps the most famous example of the Crazies' creativity happened in 1984. Maryland's Herman Veal was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student, and when the Terrapins came to Cameron, he was showered with over 1000 pairs of panties, as well as a number of crude cheers and signs. This incident received national attention and caused school officials, including Coach K, to ask the Crazies to be on their best behavior for the next game. The next game on the schedule was against UNC, and the students held up signs such as "A Warm and Hearty Welcome to Dean Smith," and "Welcome Fellow Scholars." Some wore halos made out of coat hangers. Questionable calls were met with shouts of "We Beg To Differ" (instead of the normal "bullshit") and instead of harassing Carolina free-throw shooters, students merely held up a small sign reading "Please miss."

Big victories, including those over the University of North Carolina and the final rounds of the NCAA Tournament, are celebrated with massive bonfires on the main quad. Students pour out of Cameron Indoor Stadium, joined by their friends who watched the game on television, and burn the large benches which sit in front of each dorm. (The benches are paid for by and constructed by the students). Often, the celebration will last well into the wee hours of the morning.

Strangely enough, the most recognized Duke fan of them all is no student. He's a cult hero among Duke basketball fans, and perhaps the biggest fan of them all--Herb Neubauer, known to Duke students simply as the "Crazy Towel Guy."

Neubauer, a retired area supervisor for Food Lion grocery stores and Duke alumnus, has held season tickets for Duke basketball games since 1980. He has seen two national championships, not missing a single home game during the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

For ten years now, since the 1987-1988 season, Neubauer has been bringing his trademark white towel to home games. He sits across from the student section, and during momentary lulls can singlehandedly pump up the Duke crowd simply by standing up, waving his towel, and pumping his fist.

His enthusiasm has made him possibly the only basketball fan in the nation to earn his own cheer. Once or twice during a Duke home game, the student section erupts in a call of "Crazy Towel Guy! Crazy Towel Guy!" When cheer is loud enough, Neubauer stands up and waves his towel, earning tremendous applause from the students.

Neubauer's enthusiasm for Duke sports began in 1959, when he entered Duke University as a freshman. He played basketball for his high school squad, but did not play for the Blue Devils. He was, however, a member of the 1961 ACC champion baseball team. Neubauer is a lifetime member of the Iron Dukes and belongs to the Duke Booster Club. No one can call him a fair-weather fan: he has been faithfully attending Duke football games for over 30 years, despite the Blue Devils' recent woes on the gridiron, and he can often be seen at womens basketball games, soccer matches, and other sporting events.

"His support for Duke athletics is infectious and magnificent," Duke President Nan Keohane commented. "He inspires us all."

For the past two seasons, Neubauer turned his status as a minor celebrity into over $20,000 for charity. For two days each year, he personally autographed towels in the University's Bryan Center, donating all the proceeds to the North Carolina Food Bank. Duke students were quick to snap up the towels, often telling Neubauer how much they appreciated his love of Duke Basketball. "You're the MAN!" several students were heard to say, as they shook his hand.

Neubauer, who signed the towels with a personal message and the initials CTG, was pleased to do his part for the community. "Wave that towel not only to show your support for our beloved Blue Devils, but also to say that you support the continuing fight against hunger," he wrote in a letter to the Duke University student newspaper.