Bogged down in Crazie

In the summer edition of Towerview, The Chronicle's magazine, Chris Cusack explores the former group on campus named "BOG" and its role in creating the Cameron Crazies.

Below is an excerpt from the piece:

The group had been originally established in the late 1960s as an alternative to greek life, the only such all-male option at the time. Operating outside of the Interfraternity Council gave BOG the freedom to do rush without restrictions. The group also rapidly became known for its collection of quick-witted, authority-questioning members (or “Boggers”), who were disproportionately well-represented in campus leadership positions.

“They had an enormous number of student leaders,” Wasiolek says. “They were very powerful, very influential on campus—always seemed to have the University’s best interests in mind.”

While BOG was involved in many facets of campus life, counting both the president of the student government and the editor of The Chronicle as members during the mid 1980s, they had a special focus on basketball—and on a youthful and energetic head coach named Mike Krzyzewski.

Krzyzewski has never embraced a student group like he did BOG before or since, though no other organization has ever been quite like the disorganized band of gentlemen who enjoyed the confines of Cameron in their drunkenness, and in doing so, accidentally became the first Cameron Crazies.

To read the entire piece, pick up a copy of Towerview for free on newsstands at Duke or go to The Chronicle's website.