Superstitions are as old as sports themselves. From lucky socks to pregame rituals, athletes and coaches often cling to routines that seem to bring good fortune. But Mercer football may have stumbled into one of the most unusual good luck traditions in recent memory: one that starts not on the field, but over the phone.
Every Thursday, Creekside Sports co-host Daniel Shirley interviews the Mercer football coach, Mike Jacobs, as part of the show’s weekly lineup. It’s a standard segment: preview the weekend's upcoming game, talk matchups and check in on how the team is progressing.
The week after Mercer’s unexpected opening day home loss to Presbyterian College, Shirley called the coach for their regular segment. Midway through the conversation, the call suddenly dropped. After they returned to the call, they laughed a bit about it and then continued the segment. That Saturday, when Mercer played Wofford College, the Bears came away with a close 22-21 win.
The next Thursday, the coach came on again, and once again, the call disconnected. Another unexpected hang-up. And yet, another Mercer win followed that Saturday. The Bears shut out The Citadel, 38-0.
“When it happened a second time, we kind of laughed about it,” Shirley said. “But then we realized: maybe we were onto something, so I guess we have to hang up on you again!”
By the third week, neither Shirley nor Jacobs was willing to leave it to chance. When the segment started, Shirley joked that they might as well hang up again just to keep the streak alive. The coach agreed, and once again, Mercer came away with a victory against East Tennessee State University. That’s when the accidental mishap officially turned into a tradition.
“Honestly, it all just felt kind of random at first,” Jacobs said. “After that bad loss, we had two weeks in a row where the call dropped, and once we kept winning, we just rolled with it. I’m a creature of habit, so now Daniel calls me every Thursday at 10:15, hangs up on me and calls right back. It’s turned into something we look forward to — just a good bit of fun.”
Since then, the routine has been solidified: Shirley calls the coach, they exchange a quick greeting, and then — click — the planned hang-up, followed by a callback to complete the interview. The result? Nine straight wins, including two shutouts and three wins by more than 30 points, as well as a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs.
The streak finally met its match on Nov. 22 against Auburn, a powerhouse FBS opponent that snapped Mercer’s unbeaten run. But even with the loss, no one involved is ready to abandon the tradition. If anything, the hang-up ritual has become an inside joke and a lighthearted reminder of how easily superstitions can take on a life of their own.
“I don’t think anybody on the team really knows about it, it’s mainly just between us,” Jacobs said. “But we’ll keep doing it. Even with the streak ending, it’s something we laugh about every week and I really appreciate those guys at Creekside Sports. It’s become our little Thursday tradition.”
The ritual will face its toughest and highest-stakes matchup yet in the Bears' matchup against the University of South Dakota this Saturday, Dec. 6. A win would guarantee Mercer's deepest playoff berth in team history.
But for now, the Bears aren’t messing with a winning formula. As long as the victories keep coming, Shirley will keep picking up the phone each Thursday — and hanging it up just as quickly.
