The loudest fans in the stadium: Watch the video of the storied Rutgers cannon and the crew who fire it at home games. Watch video
PISCATAWAY -- The linstock touches down on the small pile of black powder. First a flash from the cannon vent hole, a split second later, boom!
A column of fire as long as 40 feet long explodes from the cannon muzzle, followed by a lingering plume of white gray smoke. And the crowd goes wild.
If you have ever attended a home Rutgers football game at High Point Solutions Stadium you've certainly heard the cannon blast from the corner of the north end zone. No projectile of course, but a loud scoring celebration -- Rutgers style.
It was in 1976 when Jack Nelson joined a group of Revolutionary War re-enactors, the Second Regiment, Middlesex County Militia. It was a few years later when the group took over the four-pounder cannon originally operated by the university's R.O.T.C. after it stopped working.
"We made the cannon work," Nelson, 66, said. "We test fired it, and the athletic director who was walking by broke into a very large smile and gave us the thumbs up."
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Nelson and his artillery group have been making it go boom! ever since.
Nelson, who portrays Henry Rutgers, a colonel in Gen. Washington's artillery and early benefactor and namesake of Rutgers University, says the cannon is fired several times at each home game.
"When the band comes out to play the song "Colonel Rutgers" and when the team comes out," Nelson said. "We fire at half time and end of game."
Of course they also blast the cannon after touchdowns, extra points, field goals and safeties.
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"Through the very lean years, he was the guy who was here, bringing it," Matt Black, a member of Nelson's artillery group, said. "Through rain, through snow, through sleet. He's the go to guy. No fair weather fan by any means."
The group prepares around a dozen blank charges of black powder wrapped in aluminum foil before the game begins. But they carry material to make more if the team puts more points on the board and additional celebration is needed.
Jack Nelson has been a revolutionary war reenactor who has fired a cannon at Rutgers home games for more than 35 years. Safety is the number one concern for this artillery group.
"Everybody you see now on the field has had experience," Nelson said.
The cannon area is roped off to keep people from accidentally walking in front of the blast area. From time to time, a distracted photographer or visiting team mascot might make the mistake of walking out in from of the gun. Nelson and his crew are quick to react when people walk into the line of fire. They make sure to raise their awareness of the dangers of a nearby cannon blast.
"In all the time we've been shooting, nobody has been hurt," said Nelson, who lives in Howell Township.
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So after more than 35 years of celebratory cannon blasts for Nelson, the question is: How much longer will "Colonel Rutgers" grace the end zone at Rutgers football games?
"Until I am no longer safe," he said. "When I decide I can't do it any more, I'm going to turn it over to somebody else."
Judging Nelson's track record and passion for game day, that could be a long time.
Andre Malok may be reached at amalok@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AndreMalok. Find NJ.com on Facebook.