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Who knew that bubble gum was a lucky charm?

Call it a legend, ritual or superstition, but good luck for Rice University baseball starts with a bag of bubble gum. The tradition dates back to 1975, when alumna Joyce Pounds Hardy and her husband wanted to steer their baseball-playing son Larry and his Owls teammates away from using tobacco during a game. She showed up with a bag of bubble gum for them to enjoy instead and promptly became known as the Bubble Gum Lady. Hardy has continued to bring gum to baseball games, cheering for the Owls as they won the College World Series championship in 2003 and 13 conference championships since 1996. Now that’s something to chew on.