The Official History of Green Shirt Thursdays

Ok, here goes. After the Alumni Race in 2001, Coach Hamel was selling the Prep North Cross Country shirts. Now for those who are not familiar with the St. Louis area or anything of the sort, Prep North is the high school that our coach went to and ran cross country for. It has since closed. Coach Linhares had his high school shirts remade and some of the runners bought them since it is the 'history' of the program since coach modeled his program after his high school coach's program. So Brennan Connor and I both wanted one and we were going to purchase one. We weren't sure whether to buy the green one with the yellow letters or the yellow one with the green letters. Now at the time I wanted the yellow one with the green letters one because Coach had that one. Green was actually a JV shirt at Prep North. But then Brennan told me that we should both buy green ones and then we'll wear them on Thursdays and they will be Green Shirt Thursdays. And so it began....It started off strong and some people were picking up on it. Green Shirt Thursdays soon became a symbol of the newly formed BAMFOs, a faction group within SLUH XC. But there was a bump in the program my senior year (2002) when I left my green shirt in either Kyle Gonnerman's car(minivan/gonnervan) or his house. So for a few months I was without a green shirt. This was the dark ages. However, a few lads, namely Matt Killiany and Dan Flanagan, managed to keep it alive during those months. Finally Kyle returned my shirt to me and we began to spread the word. Here at Truman, we purchased some stylish pea-soup-green shirts and had "Thursday" pressed on the back. They are also size small, so they are nice and tight and the ladies love them. They are all like, "why aren't you wearing your green shirt?" and I am all like "It's Tuesday." So that is pretty much the story. And if that doesn't inspire you to wear a green shirt, I don't know what will. To all the ladies out there, buy a green (preferably tight) shirt and write Thursday across it. Then you will be almost as cool as me. Then you can take a picture of yourself, well it'll be better if you have your roommate, or even Matt take a picture of you and then have the pictures developed and give it to Matt and then he will e-mail it to me and then I will see the support of the greatness of Green Shirt Thursdays. And as most of you know there is a tough date coming up for those of you that only own one green shirt. I luckily have three: my Thursday shirt, my Prep North shirt and my Minnesota shirt that I bought at three in the morning one night in Minnesota this past November. But St. Patrick's day falls on a Tuesday or Wed., so you should wear your Green Shirt on St. Pat's day and the following Thursday. You don't have to worry about washing it because having a green shirt on is more important than having a clean shirt on. And (for the ladies) you can always put on some perfume or something to cover up any unwanted scents. I prefer Curve for Women. And there you have, at long last, the history of Green Shirt Thursdays
By: Kevin Crean
Edited by: Matt Killiany

The collegiate years saw Green Shirt Thursdays grow from its humble beginnings on a cross country team to a widespread following. Many SLUH XC alums took their Green Shirts with them to college and spread the good news of Thursday. I took it as my personal responsibility to get as many people to wear Green Shirts on Thursdays as possible. I began by writing a reminder on everyone's marker board on my floor early every Thursday morning (I had chemistry lab at 7:30, so I was awake before everyone else). People continued to forget to wear their Green Shirts, so I began sending out messages over AIM to everyone on my buddy list to remind them to wear their Green Shirt on Thursday. These are the messages found in this archive. They progressed from short, simple ad slogans to longer, more complex songs over time. For some, even the AIM reminders were not enough. They claimed they had no Green Shirts. In response to this, I designed and had printed (thank you to the good people at the T-Shirt Place who charged me $1.50 less per shirt than they were supposed to) the Official Green Shirt Thursday Shirts. The picture is the design on the front of the shirts. These shirts were distributed to friends and family who in turn gave shirts to their friends and families. They also served as the jerseys for the GST intramural soccer teams at Dayton. Similar stories of success occurred at several other colleges and others are in progress. I even found a completely independent group of Green Shirt Thursday followers. In the post-collegiate years, the messages will continue being sent and posted and hopefully those who have been exposed to Green Shirt Thursdays will take the tradition with them.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Junior Year Messages

Friends don't let friends wear non-green shirts on Thursdays

Unleash the power of the Green Shirt

Public Safety, Rescue Squad, the President of the U, the ballplayers hanging off of the rim. Marianists down the street see me in the morning wish me good luck with Him.
This is for the people in "the Neighborhood," that help me through the day, and make me feel good.
Green Shirts for you. And you and you and you. Green Shirts for you. And you and you and you.
Green Shirts for professors, commuters, local UDF guys, Marycrest and KU makin' mean pizza pie. Tattoo-Tony and his green muscle shirt, girls on the corner in a Green Shirt and skirt.
This is for the people in "the Neighborhood," who help me through the day, and make me feel good. Green Shirts for you. And you and you and you. Green Shirts for you.

Green Shirt Thursdays: Australian for Beer

Have you worn a Green Shirt lately?

Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Green Shirt Thursday

Green Shirt Thursday: A Real American Hero

Then God said: "Let there be Green Shirts, to separate this day from all other days. Let them give whoever wears them great powers on this day. Those wearing a Green Shirt will be unrivaled in all ways." And so it happened: God made Green Shirts, and those who wore them on this day were granted magnificent abilities. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed--Green Shirt Thursday.

Say!
I like Green Shirts on Thursday!
I do! I like them here, today!
And I would wear them in a boat.
And I would wear them with a goat...
And I will wear them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good, so good, you see!
So I will wear them in a box.
And I will wear them with a fox.
And I will wear them in a house.
And I will wear them with a mouse.
And I will wear them here and there.
Say! I will wear them ANYWHERE!

I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've worn Green Shirts;
Gotten away with some crime
And bad mistakes
I've made few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But the shirts have come through
And the list can go on and on and on and on...
It's Green Shirt Thursday, my friends
And we'll wear Green Shirts till the end
It's Green Shirt Thursday
It's Green Shirt Thursday
No time for blue shirts
'Cause it's Green Shirt Thursday...In the world

Go Go Gadget Green Shirt

Green Shirt Thursdays: 24 hours could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

"Green Shirt Thursdays? I can dig it."
-Security Guard at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport

Green Shirt Thursday: It does a body good

When it absolutely, positively has to get done on Thursday, wear a Green Shirt.

The Green Shirt is mightier than the sword

Giant Rugged Evil Eyed Ninjas Shaking Hands In Rustic Thai Temples Huddled Underneath Replay Screens Displaying Acrobatic Young Sherpas
Love Green Shirt Thursdays

I wear a Green Shirt, therefore I am.

Green Shirt: It's only good if you wear it.

Egon: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.
Venkman: What?
Egon: Don't take off your Green Shirts.
Venkman: Why?
Egon: It would be bad.
Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good-bad thing. Whattya mean "bad"?
Egon: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Ray: Total protonic reversal...
Venkman: Right, that's bad... OK... important safety tip. Thanks Egon.

[Ding] You are now free to put on your Green Shirt

As the good reverend would say, why we're on this particular mission, we'll never know. But I do know, here today, that the Green Shirts will emerge victorious once again.

A Green Shirt is a terrible thing to waste.

Wears like a T-shirt. Kicks like an energy drink. Green Shirt Thursdays. Get to it!

Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.

Young man, there's a shirt you can wear.
I said, young man, when you're way over there.
You can wear it, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It has everything for you men to enjoy,
You can play with all sorts of toys
It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel

Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, what do you want to be?
I said, young man, you can make real your dreams.
But you got to know this one thing!

No man does it all by himself.
I said, young man, take that Shirt off the shelf,
And just wear it, on Green Shirt Thursday
I'm sure it can help you today.

It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It has everything for you men to enjoy,
You can play with all sorts of toys
It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel

Young man, I was once in your shoes.
I said, I was down and out with the blues.
I felt no man cared if I were alive.
I felt the whole world was so tight

That's when someone came up to me,
And said, young man, take a walk up the week.
There's a day there called Green Shirt Thursday
It can start you back on your way.

It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It's fun to partake in Green Shirt Thursday
It has everything for you men to enjoy,
You can play with all sorts of toys

Green Shirt Thursday ... you'll find it on Green Shirt Thursday.
Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down.
Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground.

Green Shirt Thursday ... you'll do it on Green Shirt Thursday.
Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down.
Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground.

Green Shirt Thursday ... just take part in Green Shirt Thursday.
Young man, young man, are you listening to me?
Young man, young man, what do you wanna be?
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