On Saturday, April 27, UConn students, faculty, staff, and alumni will gather on a North Campus playing field to enact one of the University’s most beloved – and certainly its muddiest – traditions: Oozeball.

Without traditions, UConn probably wouldn’t be as good a place as it is today. — Bryan Kirby

Started by students in 1984 and played every spring since, the tournament has won its share of plaudits, with Sports Illustrated proclaiming it the best mud volleyball game in the country in a 2004 issue devoted to college sports.

But what keeps the game alive is its connection to the UConn community as an activity that spans generations of students, according to Bryan Kirby, president of the Student Alumni Association, the group that organizes the event every year.

Oozeball is one of the few campus activities that stretch back decades, Kirby notes, which gives it a special place in the experience of UConn students.

“It’s a tradition, and traditions are what hold our campus together,” he says in this interview with UConn 360, the University’s podcast. “Without traditions, UConn probably wouldn’t be as good a place as it is today.”

Listen to the podcast:

For full episodes of the UConn 360 podcast, visit uconn.edu/uconn360-podcast.