KU VG 2024–25 DM Accessible - Flipbook - Page 6
TRADITIONS
ON THE HILL
Since its first classes in 1866, KU has been a
center for learning, research, scholarship, and
creative endeavor. Here are some of the cherished
traditions that bring that rich history to life.
ON THE WING
The Jayhawk, KU’s world-famous mascot, is a mythical bird
whose history is rooted in the historic struggles of Kansas
settlers. The term “Jayhawk,” coined about 1848, combines
two birds — the noisy, quarrelsome blue jay and the stealthy
sparrow hawk. The name was associated with the state’s Civil
War battalions, so when KU football players first took the field
in 1890, it was natural to call them Jayhawks. The first official
image of the Jayhawk was a jaunty, long-legged creature created
by student Henry Maloy in 1912. The costumed mascots Big Jay
and Baby Jay enliven games and other occasions, and Jayhawk
statues can be seen all over campus.
ARE WE BLUE?
Early on, KU adopted the University of
Michigan’s colors, maize and sky blue.
But when football arrived at KU in 1890,
a clamor arose for more vibrant colors.
After spirited discussions among donors
and faculty promoting their own favorites, Harvard crimson and Yale blue were
officially named KU’s colors in 1896.
MUSIC TO OUR EARS
You hear the Rock Chalk Chant — named
for the chalk rock underlying Mount Oread
— loud and clear at every athletic event and
other special times. Adopted in 1886, the
chant may be KU’s most famous tradition:
three recitations of “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk,
KU” in a long, slow, deep cadence, then
three in rapid-fire order for a vibrant finish.
The chant usually follows the singing of the
Alma Mater, “Crimson and the Blue.”
DOWN THE HILL
Each Commencement Day, students clad
in their caps and gowns march through the
Memorial Campanile, down the Hill, and
into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
The tradition began with a procession from
Old Fraser to Robinson Hall in the early
20th century; in 1924 it was transferred to
the new stadium, and it was amended when
the Campanile opened in 1951.
WAVE THAT WHEAT
This is how fans at Memorial Stadium and
Allen Fieldhouse celebrate: They rise to their
feet, raise their arms above their heads, and
sway in alternating directions — looking like
a field of Kansas wheat in a prairie breeze.
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The University of Kansas
