Feb. 19 marks the third year in a row that a wave of little (and not-so-little) yellow ducks has descended upon Samford’s campus. Whether you saw them scattered on desks in classrooms, spelling out “Duck Day!” in front of the library or floating around in the fountain on Ben Brown, they were practically inescapable no matter where on campus you were.
This is the work of a group known as the Duck Dynasty — not to be confused with the American reality show. The Duck Dynasty is a circle of Samford upperclassmen that first came together in the fall of 2023. The day began as an idea tossed around between friends, that they decided to come together and make a reality the next February.
“The founding members have had so much fun with it,” said the admin of the @duckdayofficial account on Instagram, and the creator of Duck Day. “The surprise and love that campus has had for Duck Day is why we do it.”
Though the event has previously been theorized to be a prank or an attempt at mischief, the Dynasty attests otherwise.
“Duck Day at its core isn’t really a prank,” said the admin. “It’s more like a fun surprise that catches people a little off guard with the goal of spreading joy on campus.”
The first annual Duck Day took place two years ago, on Feb. 19, 2024, when the Dynasty came together to litter Samford’s campus with 1,500 rubber ducks. In 2025, the number of ducks doubled, and there were 3,000. This year, the Dynasty managed to up its numbers even further and scatter 5,000 ducks across Samford’s campus — including two large, inflatable ducks that sat on top of Burns and Propst.
Duck Day may inspire a myriad of reactions — delight at the cute ducks that have overtaken the campus for a time, mild annoyance at the continual squeaking or wonder at the sheer number of the things — but at the end of the day, Duck Day has always been intended to bring a smile to the faces of Samford students.
“Call Duck Day what you will, a harmless prank or a campus holiday, the goal always has been and always will be to bring joy to the students of Samford,” said the admin.
Looking forward, the group’s intention, especially as the upperclassmen approach graduation, is to recruit younger members so that the dynasty to continue next year, and, hopefully, for years to come after that.
Staff Reporter
