For more than 25 years, the “Stingers Up” gesture has been woven into Sacramento State’s identity, serving as a shared signal for students, alumni, and fans across campus and beyond. Now, that long-standing tradition is facing its first real rethink, as newly hired head football coach Alonzo Carter, introduced as the program’s 14th head coach in December, has publicly floated a change he believes reflects how the gesture was originally meant to be done.”I know y’all love stingers up, and I get it. I’m not trying to upset anybody, but I was told before that there were these stingers up. There were the big stingers up,” Carter said on January 24.

Coach Carter gripped his fist, only keeping his index finger up, and started pointing towards the sky. Essentially, making the directions of the new gesture clear.

“So all the old school alumni I hope this is for you all that we back with big stingers,” the new head coach added. Later, Carter was seen posing for a photo with his players, making the same ‘big stinger’ gesture.

Notably, the ‘Stingers Up’ gesture started showing up around campus in the 1990s and really took off in the 2000s, slowly becoming one of Sacramento State’s most recognizable traditions. Inspired by Herky the Hornet, the school’s mascot since 1947, the pinky-up gesture mimics a hornet’s stinger and turned into an easy, unspoken way for fans to spot each other. It shows up everywhere now, from tailgates and packed sections at Hornet Stadium to quick exchanges between strangers in Sac State gear.
Robert S. Nelsen, the president of the University, detailed an instance when he himself was awestruck by the tradition and the popularity of it.

Nelson remembered an instance when he saw two “complete strangers” wearing the Hornets’ apparel in midtown Sacramento. Instead of just passing by casually, the duo greeted each other with a “stingers up” and a smile. “I know Sacramentans are proud of their University, but I was blown away by two little fingers saluting each other, acknowledging our Hornet Family,” Nelson recounted.

In 2022, when the program won the Big Sky title, ‘stingers up’ was prominent across the campus. The same was the case when the program pulled a historic win over Stanford in 2023, which was one of the biggest for the program since football’s inception in 1954. The women’s basketball team celebrated it, too, with a ‘Stingers Up’ extravaganza after an NCAA tournament berth.

So, what does it mean for the tradition to change?

Carter has been careful to avoid framing his proposal as a replacement. Instead, he’s positioning the “big stinger” as an addition, a broader symbol meant to honor older alumni while aligning with the forward momentum of the program. His message is less about altering identity and more about expanding it.

That approach mirrors how Carter has introduced himself to the Sacramento community. Just days before the gesture discussion gained traction, Carter joined student-athletes from the football and baseball programs on a visit to Shriners Children’s Northern California, where players spent time with young patients, played games, and shared an ice-cream social. Quarterback Carson Conklin, who recently returned to Sacramento State after a season at Fresno State, called the experience “inspiring,” while running back Jamar Curtis emphasized the importance of showing up for the community.

“It’s a blessing to be in this seat where you can bring joy to people,” Carter said during the visit, a line that neatly captures how he views his role beyond the field.

That attention to detail mirrors how Carter has stepped into the role more, offering insight into where Sacramento State is headed next.

Coach Carter and Shaquille O’ Neal jutifying Sacramento State’s ambitions

Coach Carter isn’t a new name in the coaching world. His image aligns with the program’s ambitions to leave the Big Sky conference and join the FBS conferences. The Hornets also applied formally for the same and are now in the process of joining a G-5 league. Carter helps with that. He has deep recruiting roots in Northern California and has been in the coaching scene since 1993.

For his contributions, Alonzo Carter was also inducted into the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Contra Costa JC Hall of Fame in 2025. With that resume, if Carter is requesting something, expect Sacramento State to listen. The head coach has arrived for a major conference transition for the program, and his credentials would help the cause.

The program’s ambitions have also been bolstered since the Hornets roped in ‘the’ Shaquille O’ Neal as their GM of the men’s basketball team. The move happened since Shaquille’s son, Shaqir, joined the team as a transfer from Florida A&M. Shaq also has adopted the University culture and fans quickly congratulated him with ‘stingers up’ gesture.

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While the program may sail smoothly into the FBS world owing to personas like O’Neal and Carter. It remains to be seen how fans react to that change for the ‘stingers up’ gesture.