How Marquette men’s basketball super fan Rick Smith became the ‘Jump Around Guy’

Rick Smith first started jumping around to show his fellow Marquette University alumni that he could cheer on the men’s basketball team just as enthusiastically as the students. 

The year was 2007. 

The game: Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Villanova Wildcats. 

“I was looking around and said (to fellow alumni), ‘Why doesn’t anybody ever cheer or get up and jump?’” Smith said. “They all looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘Well what’s wrong with you?’” 

The 1992 song “Jump Around” by House of Pain was playing — a song famously played at Wisconsin Badger games.

Smith, who was 56 years old at the time, started jumping while decked out in a suit and Marquette tie.  

At that very second, ESPN pointed the camera at him. Smith’s son, who was a student at Georgetown University, called home to say he saw his dad on TV.

Smith figured the jump was “one and done.” 

But at the next game, House of Pain played. Everyone around Smith started pointing and tapping him on the shoulder. 

So Smith jumped. 

And now at 73, Smith continues to jump. 

“When everybody wants you to do it, you do it because they get excited about it. And that’s a good thing,” said Smith.

“We were just talking about the ‘Jump Around Guy’ in the car,” said fan Trisha Zielinski, whose family has Marquette men’s basketball season tickets and attended a recent game on March 8. “He’s a huge hit at the games. The students boo if they show other jumpers, and they cheer for him. He’s another mascot, like the Golden Eagle.” 

Connor Grace and Matt Kluba, both juniors at Marquette University, said they hope to be jumping around at games in 50 years. 

“That guy embodies the student spirit of Marquette, not just as a student, but as a cultural figure,” Grace said.

“I want to love my school as much as he does,” Kluba added. “He is an inspiration to all of us.”

Smith led raSmith a Brookfield-based civil engineering firm, before retiring four years ago. He and his wife, Joan Smith, now live in Florida. 

Before they moved, they attended every Marquette home game for 50 years. 

Now, they go to about half of the games. 

Smith still wears his signature suit and Marquette tie to the games. Students don’t like when he dresses down. 

At the game earlier this month, he said he hoped the game DJ would have mercy on him and play a shortened version of “Jump Around.” 

“They used to do it sometimes two or three times during a game. That was brutal, especially if it was a TV timeout, because those would go on for five minutes, and I’m jumping and jumping,” Smith said. “But I think now they know I’m getting older, sometimes they don’t play it. Then people are disappointed and ask why I’m not jumping. They don’t even know it’s for a specific song.” 

Smith’s jumping has made him a bit of a national celebrity as well. 

His wife said when they are in Florida or on vacation, Marquette alumni recognize her husband. 

Arthritis keeps her from jumping. But she appreciates her husband’s celebrity status.

“It’s fun being married to the jumper,” Joan Smith said. 

On Marquette game day in Milwaukee, there is usually another well-known local celebrity at Fiserv Forum — and he’s seated almost next to Smith: the ubiquitous personal injury attorney David Gruber.

“Rick is a great guy. He’s part of Marquette lore,” Gruber said. “I jump around internally, but Rick, he’s a great guy.” 

When asked who is more popular in the section — or the basketball arena— Gruber pauses. 

“We’ll give him the basketball day,” Gruber said. “Rick today, we’ll give that to Rick.”