Where Did Wave Start? Dick Knows

I’m a big baseball fan, and recently I met my old friend Howard in Chicago to see the Cubs play the Astros. While we were sitting there, we witnessed what has been dubbed “The Wave,” a coordinated crowd movement in which fans stand and raise their arms in sequence, creating a rippling, cascading effect across the stadium, either vertically or horizontally. You probably know this unless you have been living in a cave, where you seldom can get enough people to create that required result.  While we witnessed these phenomena, Howard put down his Chicago-style hot dog, turned to me, and said, “Robb Weller invented The Wave.”

I was stunned. I knew Robb. I worked with him on TV in Ohio, and our TV careers crossed paths in Chicago and New York. Now, Howard had never lied to me. That very day, he told me he had shot his age in golf 85 times, quite an accomplishment for a septuagenarian. I didn’t want to brag, but I have shot my IQ more than 300 times. That sounds much better than 25 over par.

But back to The Wave. So, here’s the story. Weller was once known as the Hippie cheerleader at his alma mater, the University of Washington, because in the 70s, in that role, he sported a beard and long hair. Robb was the yell leader. The yell leader hypes the crowd with various cheers that energize the entire stadium. Robb’s cheers were a little wild and goofy, but he brilliantly controlled the chaos. In 1971, he choreographed an early version of The Wave, but it wasn’t until 10 years later that his idea crested.

By 1981, on his way to a successful TV career, Weller accepted an invitation from the same band leader he had worked with a decade earlier to return to his Alma Mater and recreate his initial concept.

In the game, the future Hall of Famer John Elway was the quarterback for Stanford. The Cardinals were clear favorites to beat Weller’s team, the Huskies. Weller realized that virtually no one at the event had ever seen, much less performed, The Wave, but he somehow engineered a revival, this time running along the sidelines, encouraging the crowds to rise and fall in sequence, as close to one person at a time as possible.

During the frenzy, Robb’s team scored two touchdowns in under two minutes. Robb was encouraged to do The Wave once again, but this time it wasn’t just the students who complied; the entire stadium joined in. The word is that Elway was baffled.

The rest isn’t just history, but it is kind of a mystery. Why did The Wave catch on? Dozens of stadiums, pro and collegiate, started doing it. Virtually, every sport. It was even seen at the Olympics. Why did it catch on? Says Robb, “Fans want to be part of the game. They want interaction. Getting up to use the bathroom or get a hot dog is not enough.” By the way, the first time you experience The Wave, it can be quite stunning when you see it headed in your direction.

Now, there is admittedly some controversy about the origin of The Wave.  Others have claimed to have created this worldwide phenomenon before Weller, but most of these assertions have little factual foundation or are based on concepts that resemble a form of whack-a-mole, where people stand up in groups. That’s not what it is supposed to look like.

Wave goodbye to those impostors.

Dick Wolfsie is a retired TV personality, author, speaker, teacher and all-around good guy. His award-winning column appears here weekly. If you’d like to learn more about joining Dick on an upcoming trip to Costa Rica, go to this paper’s website and click on the Collette Travel ads.