You know who else brought a bat to a football game? Gerard Wicks, in high school

As I write this, there appears to be a big internet kerfuffle over the Carolina Panthers' use of a black baseball bat as a motivational tool and/or scare tactic before yesterday's game with the New York Giants.

Of course, the use of props -- and, more specifically, bats -- around football is not new or unique. Heck, one of WSU's running backs was doing it back when he was in high school.

Here's a great picture from Getty Images of Wicks holding the bat, and you can see him walking onto the field with the bat at the beginning of this video from the state championship game his senior year (Long Beach Poly also apparently preferred a sledge hammer):

Former WSU coach Mike Price also loved motivational tools and props when he was leading the Cougs (although not necessarily right before games), and he carried that tradition on when he moved to UTEP:

(You also won't believe what kind of destruction that pickaxe was capable of!)

Maybe Price can lend the Cougs his mighty pickaxe this weekend for the Sun Bowl? Then again, we wouldn't want the Miami Hurricanes accusing WSU of trying to scare or intimidate them.