RIT hockey Corner Crew t-shirt

The opening game of the 1982-83 men's hockey season was held on Halloween weekend. That year, Steve Schultz, one of the members of the southeast corner, came to the game in his Halloween costume, dressed as the Grim Reaper. He was late to the game because he was attending a Halloween party, and everyone who showed up with him came in costume. They arrived late in the game with RIT trailing by two goals. Within minutes of them showing up, RIT scored two quick goals to tie it up. The Tigers then scored the winning goals. The second night of Halloween weekend, the group of revelers showed up in costume again, and again RIT went on to victory.

The next home game, when RIT fell behind, others in the corner said to Schultz, "It's because you are not wearing your Grim Reaper costume." As he lived in the dorm at the time, he ran across the quarter mile during the second intermission, got the costume, and ran back. Shortly after showing up in costume, RIT tied the game and then scored the winning goal. A tradition was born. Schultz wore the costume for the next eight years until finally retiring it during the first Gulf War.

After the Tigers had won the Division II crown, Steve 'Grim Reaper' Schultz, the defacto leader of the southeast corner, and Peter 'Tucker' Lutz, the defacto leader of the southwest corner, held a springtime summit. They decided that the two cheering sections should get together and form a single larger crew. That season, the Corner Crew was born. The cheers in those days were rather crude -- clever, but certainly not G-rated. But what the Crew lacked in tactfulness, they made up for in enthusiasm. The Corner Crew cheered the Tigers on to ECAC and NCAA crowns the next few seasons.