Turns out the Who Dey chant has roots dating back to the 18th century in this area. However its most widely known and associated with Hudepohl beer in the 1980s. “The beer came after the chant,” Mif Frank, owner of Arrow Wine and Spirts told News Center 7′s Candace Price.
The phrase dates back to the old Riverfront Stadium days and is derived from a historic Cincinnati business. Hudepohl Beer Company has been a staple in the Cincinnati beer industry since 1885, long before the Bengals were even a thought for the city.
While Payton said he is cheering for this year's Bengals squad, he did squeeze in that the "Who Dat" chant came first. "I'll be honest, when I hear the Bengals — and I'm rooting kind of for Cincinnati a little bit in the postseason — but the 'Who Dey' thing, it came after," Payton said.
"Who Dey?" What does that even mean? It's a Cincinnati tradition and part of a chant that breaks out after the Bengals score touchdowns at home game at Paul Brown Stadium. The origins of the chant date back to the 1980s, and a local beer company is involved.
Over time, Hudepohl was sold in the stadium by beer vendors during games. Walking up and down aisles, vendors could be heard shouting, “Hudy,” short for Hudepohl, which sounds a lot like “HuDey,” or “Who Dey.” A catchphrase was born.
Beer vendors at the old Riverfront Stadium would shout "Hudy!" to sell to fans, and that made a natural transition to "Who Dey?" in the stands. Hudepohl Beers released limited edition "Hu-Dey" beer cans last week. What about the rest of the chant?
Who-Dey?! Who-Dey think gonna beat them Bengals?!” To which the immediate reply is “NOBODY!” It started this time when another old hero of Cincinnati, Ickey Woods, took part in the ceremony accepting the Lamar Hunt Trophy when the Bengals beat the Chiefs in Kansas City nine days ago.
Origins. The earliest documented use of the phrase in Louisiana can be found in a July 30, 1852 New Orleans Daily Picayune article. The chant of "Who Dat?" originated in minstrel shows and vaudeville acts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was taken up by jazz and big band performers in the 1920s and '30s.
No, the Bengals 'Who Dey' chant wasn't stolen from the Saints. At least that's our view. The Cincinnati Bengals are returning to the NFL playoffs in 2022 after capturing the AFC North Division championship following an upset victory of defending two-time AFC champions Kansas City on Sunday.
Bengals mascot Who Dey awaits the team to enter the field before Cincinnati hosts the New Orleans Saints. Bengals mascot Who Dey participates in an NFL PLAY60 event with students from South Avondale.
There's more than just 'Who Dey'
You may hear just "Who Dey" in the coming days, but there's actually more to the chant, which explains that it's just another way of saying "who are they?" The entire cheer goes: "Who dey, who dey, who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?" Fans then respond: "Nobody!"
Founded by Paul Brown
Brown chose the name Bengals as a link to a local pro team called the Cincinnati Bengals that had played from 1937 to 1941. The original Bengals had been named by founder Hal Pennington after the Bengal stove in his mother's kitchen.
Professional football returned to Cincinnati in 1967. Paul Brown, former coach of the Cleveland Browns, received authorization from a modern American Football League to create a team in Cincinnati. Brown chose the name Bengals to memorialize the teams of the same name that had represented Cincinnati in the past.
According to the Times-Picayune,the "Who Dat?" rallying call first originated during the fall of 1983, when WVUE-TV sports anchor Ken Berthelot and photographer Avis Landry were sent to capture video of a high school football game in St. Augustine. The city's Purple Knights had a pre-practice chant that went, "Who dat?
The term "Who Dat" is a borrowed phrase with a proud history that can be traced from the Seventh Ward in the 1980's to the Caesars Superdome today. "The first time I heard the 'Who Dat' chant was on the St. Augustine Purple Knights' bus in 1983," said Ken Berthelot, a longtime New Orleans sportscaster.
Who dey! Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?” Three years later in 1983, the Saints chanted “Who Dat? Who dat say they gonna beat dem Saints?” It was originally based on entertainment skits that were later picked up in the 1960s by schools in New Orleans and, eventually, the Saints.”
It stems from a well-lubricated rhetorical question of, “Who dey, who dey, who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?!” Often connected to the New Orleans Saints' “Who Dat?”, the origin story of “Who Dey?” dates back to the 1970s in Cincinnati, but it really took flight during the team's first Super Bowl run in 1981.
The Green Bay Acme Packers, founded in 1919 (joined the NFL in 1921, now the Green Bay Packers) is the oldest NFL franchise with continuous operation in the same location.
The Patriots and Broncos are tied for the most Super Bowl losses (five). The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans are the four teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl, although the Browns and Lions won NFL Championships before the merger.