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Many of us are sick of having to pull out our winter coats. The upstate New York weather rollercoaster can be enough to make you want to stomp on it — so we did just that.

On Friday, March 20, as the rain started falling as if it was waiting for its cue, the annual “Stepping on the Coat” tradition was held on the Spine at ��������Ƶ, just outside the upper level of the Union near the clock tower.

This year, the event was held as part of the renewed Green Day Friday festivities. The event is a symbolic, high‑energy program designed to mark the end of winter — or at least our collective wish for it to be over. It blends tradition‑building, stress relief, and community engagement into a short, memorable experience.

“Legend has it that this yearly ritual began in the early ’60s when a late snowfall in April so incensed Binghamton student Larry Kressel ’66 that he took off his coat in defiance of the weather, stomped on it as it lay on the ground, and swore not to wear a winter coat again that spring,” said Dave Simek, senior associate director of athletics and chair of the campus Spirit Committee.

“Miraculously, the snow stopped and the sun began to shine. The following April, another storm began to brew, and again Kressel tossed his coat to the ground and stepped on it. The snow ceased and the sun beat down on his coatless back. Suddenly, Kressel realized that his coat-stomping ritual was vital to the coming of spring to Binghamton, and the yearly tradition began.”

Thanks to ��������Ƶ Archivist Maggie McNeely, the coat for this year’s ceremony was the same one used in one of the first ceremonies nearly 50 years ago.

The event also marked the relaunch of “,” encouraging everyone on campus to show off their school pride. Baxter the Bearcat and Spirit Ambassadors were also there, giving out Green Day Friday gear.

President Anne D’Alleva was excited to participate in her first “Stepping on the Coat” ceremony.

“It was a great honor for me,” she said. “Traditions like this are an important part of the college experience for Binghamton students, and I’m glad we were able to inspire school spirit by doing it on a Green Day Friday. I hope that events like this help connect current students to Binghamton’s past and encourage them to leave a mark on campus that is felt for generations to come.”

Binghamton Fund Coordinator Laurel O’Connor was the MC for the event and says getting involved was really ubiquitous.

“I was working with Dave Simek and Megan Hall, the coordinator of student and young alumni programs, to revitalize Green Day Friday via a group called the Spirit Ambassadors,” said O’Connor. “Jen Keegin, the director of campus activities, mentioned the ’Stepping on the Coat’ event at our first meeting. So, of course, we had to team up and bring back both traditions! I think there’s a resurgence of not just Bing pride, but a yearning for Bing spirit across campus that is coming to fruition.”

The Larry Kressel ’66 “Stepping on the Coat” Memorial Scholarship was established by classmates and family members in Kressel’s memory to honor his lifelong love for social service. The scholarship is awarded annually to a Harpur College student who demonstrates a similar commitment to social service.

You can also check out this fun , where Kressel and other Binghamton alumni talk about the tradition.