University spirit upholds tradition

MeanGreen61 · August 23, 2006

Rebekah Keough

Issue date: 8/23/06

If you find yourself waving an eagle claw, yelling "caw" noises and singing songs praising the color green, you're in the right place.

The university thrives on school spirit, and if you're a new student at NT you now share in decades of traditions that keep its character alive.

"This gives you a sense of pride of where you are," said Tanya Quirov, president of Talons, NT's official spirit and service organization. "It is important for raising awareness and being proud of where you are going."

A petition signing in 1922 declared NT's mascot an Eagle. After going through four live bald eagles and several name changes the mascot became known as "Scrappy," a human dressed in an eagle costume.

From this came the eagle claw, the hand signal of a true NT student. Traditionally used at NT sports games, fans flash their claw, made by curling the thumb, index and middle fingers forward and closing the ring and pinkie fingers.

"Fight Song" and "Glory to the Green" are two songs that NT prides itself on, especially since both were written by NT students in 1922 and 1939.

NT has celebrated its establishment as a university since 1961. At the setting off of the school's cannon "Boomer," University Day kicks off the spring with live music, food and games-all free.

Another tradition is tailgating at Mean Green Village.

"Tailgating was restricted before football games in the late 90s," said Jamie Adams, director of promotions for NT athletics. "Now, everywhere you look around Fout's Field on game days, tailgating is taking place."

The Mean Green March showcases the NT cheerleaders, dancers and football team marching across the village to the locker room to prepare for games. But the main objective of this festivity is to bring the community together and get them pumped for the night.

"Anytime you can bring people to the campus of the University of North Texas for five weekends in the fall and provide them with an avenue to enjoy themselves, remember old times, look at the progress the university is making, [and] meet new friends it's a good thing," Adams said.

Another march takes place after victorious games. Led by "Tug," an old airplane baggage carrier on which the Spirit Bell is mounted, fans and players walk from Fout's Field to McConnell Tower. They then count down from 10 to one and end with the lighting of the tower that oversees the whole campus in green lights, signifying NT's win.

The ultimate and most prominent tradition of NT is the bonfire, which started in the 1930s. The Talons light it on the Friday night before homecoming games. The 40-by-40-by-20 foot bonfire stands as "the largest man-made bonfire in the state of Texas," Quirov said. "It is something we are very proud of."

TheTastyGreek · August 24, 2006

Rebekah Keough
Issue date: 8/23/06
"Scrappy," a human dressed in an eagle costume.
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Old timers... back when Eppy roamed the earth, was it a donkey in that costume or something? Or, are the Journalism and English departments just on extended summer break?

SilverEagle · August 24, 2006

Old timers... back when Eppy roamed the earth, was it a donkey in that costume or something? Or, are the Journalism and English departments just on extended summer break?
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Would it have been too difficult for them to say "a student dressed in a Eagle costume?". Maybe they don't think that students and humans are the same thing.

BTW, I don't remember anyone dressed in an Eagle costume during the times that I attended homecoming games during the 60's. The first time I saw someone dressed in an Eagle costume was during the Hayden Fry era.

the green rokemi · August 24, 2006

Rebekah Keough
Issue date: 8/23/06
If you find yourself waving an eagle claw, yelling "caw" noises and singing songs praising the color green, you're in the right place.

Hmmm...last time I checked an eagle doesn't make a "caw" noise...that pseudo-tradition needs to die

Edited August 24, 2006 by the green rokemi

letsgiveacheer · August 24, 2006

"Fight Song" and "Glory to the Green" are two songs that NT prides itself on, especially since both were written by NT students in 1922 and 1939.

Well, that's not entirely correct. The original fight song was written pre war. The fight song that is used now was written in 1976 after Maurice McADow retired. Winslow wanted to "modernize" the original and arranged the present version. The current version is a "dumbing down" of the original and is frankly, a pretty poor subsitute and should be no source of pride, especially for a school with a great music program.

I have the original on vinyl and if I get some spare time, will try to copy it so this board can hear what the fight song used to sound like.

Of course, where else but Noth Texas can someone decide to change things like the fight song and school colors at whim?

PerryG2480 · August 24, 2006

Hey, I won't complain about anything like this being printed in the Daily.

But yeah, the "caw" thing has definitely got to go.

SilverEagle · August 24, 2006

"Fight Song" and "Glory to the Green" are two songs that NT prides itself on, especially since both were written by NT students in 1922 and 1939.
Well, that's not entirely correct. The original fight song was written pre war. The fight song that is used now was written in 1976 after Maurice McADow retired. Winslow wanted to "modernize" the original and arranged the present version. The current version is a "dumbing down" of the original and is frankly, a pretty poor subsitute and should be no source of pride, especially for a school with a great music program.
I have the original on vinyl and if I get some spare time, will try to copy it so this board can hear what the fight song used to sound like.
Of course, where else but Noth Texas can someone decide to change things like the fight song and school colors at whim?
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Please make a copy if possible. I remember the "original" version very well. When Winslow changed it (dumbed it down), I thought it was an insult to the Music Dept, and the fine reputation of our Music school......as well as a cavalier attitude toward one of our few traditions.

NT80 · August 24, 2006

A petition signing in 1922 declared NT's mascot an Eagle. After going through four live bald eagles and several name changes the mascot became known as "Scrappy," a human dressed in an eagle costume.
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I'm not sure if that is accurate. I know in the past we had South American FishHawks posing as Eagles for our mascot, but I've never heard or read we had actual Bald Eagles before.

CMJ · August 24, 2006

A little history on the subject.

http://orgs.unt.edu/talons/mascot.htm

We obviously didnt have great luck with them.

SilverEagle · August 24, 2006

My sister went to North Texas in the fall of 1961. She bought a mascot sticker for her car,(which is the avatar that I now use). She told me that the name of the mascot was "Scrappy".

I don't now how long that image of Scrappy existed before the fall of 1961, but it's my favorite image of Scrappy.

I wish they would get rid of that current image of Scrappy-the-parrot.

August 24, 2006

My sister went to North Texas in the fall of 1961. She bought a mascot sticker for her car,(which is the avatar that I now use). She told me that the name of the mascot was "Scrappy".
I don't now how long that image of Scrappy existed before the fall of 1961, but it's my favorite image of Scrappy.
I wish they would get rid of that current image of Scrappy-the-parrot.
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I can't place an exact year for that version of Scrappy (and by the way it was known as Scrappy from its inception) but it was the early to mid 50s.

When I first started at North Texas in 1948 we were in the Lone Star Conference. President W. Joseph McConnell began changing us from a teacher's college to a university around 1950 with the establishment of Schools of Education, Business and Music. Everything else was in the College of Arts & Sciences. We called ourselves North Texas State College even though we were set up as a university. Politics being what it is, it took about ten years to finally get the 'University' label recognition. We tried to become Texas State University then but the word that we received on campus was that name was being held for Texas A&M, should they ever want to change.

I believe that your avatar was our logo when we entered the Missouri Valley Conference in 1956. It's also my favorite although I really do like the current eagle.

I'm fuzzy on dates because I had two periods of study at NT. I left North Texas and went in the Navy in January of 1951 and returned in January of 1955. So some of these changes occurred while I was away and I sometimes find it difficult to separate the two eras.

That Scrappy served us well during its day. The late Bill McClannahan of the Dallas Morning News was, in my opinion, the best sports cartoonist in the nation and he did wonders with that Scrappy. He may even have inspired it, as I believe that he did for the 'old Sarge' logo of Texas A&M.

August 24, 2006

I'm also in camp with you Silver on liking the "old" version of the fight song. I do like the opening fanfare, which is an attention getter, but the new version is much harder to sing.

Also, I wanted to comment that while there may be some small inaccuracies in the tradition article in the NT Daily, I heartily support and appreciate the efforts on the part of the Daily staff to help instill school spirit. Now, if they would just do an event "Down the Corridor of Years' in each issue, we could continue to build school spirit.

FirefightnRick · August 25, 2006

"Fight Song" and "Glory to the Green" are two songs that NT prides itself on, especially since both were written by NT students in 1922 and 1939.
Well, that's not entirely correct. The original fight song was written pre war. The fight song that is used now was written in 1976 after Maurice McADow retired. Winslow wanted to "modernize" the original and arranged the present version. The current version is a "dumbing down" of the original and is frankly, a pretty poor subsitute and should be no source of pride, especially for a school with a great music program.
I have the original on vinyl and if I get some spare time, will try to copy it so this board can hear what the fight song used to sound like.
Of course, where else but Noth Texas can someone decide to change things like the fight song and school colors at whim?
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I'd love to hear it and thanks for the insight LGAC!

Rick