Allison Gibson remembers a hush falling over Davis Field.

Her Idaho State soccer team was taking on instate rival Boise State. Once the chanting coming from the Broncos’ bench subsided, an outspoken Bengals fan broke the silence.

“Boise’s not a state!”

“I know it’s been said a million times,” said Gibson, ISU’s 11th-year soccer coach. “I don’t know what it was about that moment. But I just was like, ‘Who is this kid?’”

It was Ross Cunningham, ISU’s flag-waving, chant cheering, WWI-clad superfan. He’s been patrolling the sidelines of ISU athletics events for over 10 years and has gained fame across the Big Sky Conference for his dedicated antics.

He’s better known as Super Fan Ross.

“(Former Pocatello High boys basketball coach) Greg Evans pulled me aside after I didn’t make the basketball team in my freshman year, noticed the energy I had, and told me he could always use someone like me in the stands supporting,” Ross said. “So, I stuck to that and found my niche.”

Ross has been a much-needed constant for ISU. From championships and one-win seasons, Ross’ passion has never wavered.

Born in Ohio, Ross is also an Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He credits the region’s die-hard fan mentality for shaping his.

But there have been times when Ross is one of a few scattered Bengals fans in attendance. Football and men’s basketball — ISU’s two biggest revenue-pulling programs — have struggled to produce winning programs over Ross’ tenure. Even at games for volleyball, softball and soccer, which have played for and won multiple Big Sky titles in recent years, student support is lacking.

“I used to be downright upset that we didn’t have bigger crowds, and I fully admit that in my early days as an ISU fan, I used to be kind of a jerk about it,” Ross said. “It was honestly a shock to me to not see the stands packed every week, and it was a shock I didn’t like.”

Ross doesn’t just show up to home games. He travels. Far.

Ross spent four days in a tent in Missoula, Montana, in November, just to watch the Bengals soccer team in the 2014 conference tournament. He battled food poisoning during a 2016 trip to New Hampshire to watch the volleyball team in a nonconference tournament.

“Sacred Heart’s coach ran Sprite out to me before our match with his squad,” Ross said.

Ross travels extensively for volleyball, soccer and women’s basketball. He’s shared championship memories at Reed Gym and Davis Field. Through his decade-plus of dedicating thousands of hours to supporting the hometown team, Ross has grown especially close with Gibson.

“Ali Gibson has been a rock,” Ross said. “In fact, she’s also one of the biggest reasons why I’m still around.”

After completing his bachelor’s degree from ISU in 2012, Ross toyed with hanging up his garb. He was in the process of joining the Army. He boxed up his superfan gear and started preparing for life away from ISU.

At the end of soccer season, some of the seniors on the team asked Ross if he was coming for senior day. With some push from Gibson, Ross accepted and was in the stands to see the Bengals clinch Big Sky tournament hosting rights.

Pretty soon, Ross was fully out of retirement. He has since begun pursuing a master’s degree and is still enrolled at ISU.

“The week after, Ali calls me again, asks to meet with her in her office,” Ross said. “She explained to me then and there that since we were hosting, she was pulling me out of retirement. I gladly accepted, pulled my gear out of storage, and watched as we won two wild shootouts in three days to win our fifth championship.”

Ross and Gibson, in a way, need one another. Neither seems to operate the same without the other.

It was the 2014 regular season finale. The Bengals were in Ogden, Utah, playing Weber State. Win and ISU went to the conference tournament. Lose, season over.

“I bought him a shuttle ticket and he marched from the shuttle drop-off — and yes, marched is correct — all the way to Weber State.”

ISU won the game 2-1 thanks to a pair of late second-half goals.

This season, Gibson and the Bengals can’t coax Ross out of sabbatical. He’s in Afghanistan ending his six-year military enlistment. He has to settle for following his favorite teams online.

And his favorite teams are down one fan that may as well be 1,000.

“It’s always been my dream to work at a school where there’s just so much fan support,” Gibson said. “We have one Ross. It’s like (former football coach John) Zamberlin said one time in a staff meeting. He’s like, ‘Man, I would take 1,000 Rosses.’

“And I’m like, ‘Wouldn’t we all?’”