Dr. Adam Peck, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, is sporting an orange Sam Houston State University tie after losing a friendly wager with Sam Houston State University Dean of Students, John Yarabeck.
Yarabeck and Peck have had an on-going bet for seven years centered around the long-running rivalry between SHSU and SFA. It started out with the Dean of Students of whichever university lost the Battle of the Piney Woods football game having to wear a tie the following week that featured the logo of the winning school.
“We’re just trying to generate spirit in each of our student bodies,” Yarabeck said.
School spirit and student support is one the most important aspect of a college community to Yarabeck. His office shelves are covered in Sam Houston apparel and memorabilia, and he is a regular at athletic events and other school functions.
“I think it’s important that you generate spirit as Dean of Students,” Yarabeck said. “I try to have a good smattering of pom-poms and an orange football helmet in my office.”
With the Bearkats recent success against SFA football, the friendly wager has certainly favored Yarabeck. Since its inception, he has never had to put on the Nacogdoches neckwear, but Peck has been forced to sport the bright orange tie year after year.
“Of course people always give him [Peck] a hard time about it,” Yarabeck said. “Seven years have come and gone, and I have yet to wear the SFA tie. It still has the cardboard backing behind it.”
Yarabeck knows a time will inevitably come when he will have to break out the purple tie and sport the Lumberjacks color for a day, but for now the tie rests in one of the drawers in his bookcase.
“I’m sure there will come a day where I eventually have to wear it,” Yarabeck said. “Hopefully it will be in the far distant future.”
The two deans recently decided to expand their wager to cover more than just the battle of the Piney Woods football game. They began to incorporate men’s basketball, and the losing dean would wear a polo shirt with the other university’s logo. This year they will extend that to women’s basketball, as well.
“Basketball is a great sport as well and gets people energized,” Yarabeck said. “Of course they have been a powerhouse in men’s basketball, so it was his way of getting back at me for the football bet.”