Longhorn Traditions
You'll feel the inescapable pull of the UT Austin spirit in a million ways. For some, it's finding that secret studying (or napping!) spot tucked away in a quiet library full of ancient manuscripts; for others, it's the roar of the burnt orange crowd as 100,000 voices unify to the words of "The Eyes of Texas." Whatever the case, our many traditions help to strengthen our community and bind us together as Longhorns — proud, ambitious and determined to change the world.
Bevo
UT athletes were already known as Longhorns when, in 1916, a maverick longhorn steer was brought to campus on a train from South Texas and introduced at halftime to a cheering football fans. The editor of the alumni magazine dubbed him Bevo, either after a near beer or by combining “beeve” (a plural form of “beef”) with “o.” UT has had more than a dozen Bevos. He is handled by the Silver Spurs student service organization. UT’s costumed mascot is known as Hook ’Em.
Burnt Orange and White
Orange and white were first used as UT colors in 1885, when two students on their way to a baseball game stopped at a general store to get ribbons for the crowd. The most plentiful colors in stock were orange and white. After experimenting with gold and white and even orange and maroon, UT officially adopted orange and white as its colors in 1900. Over the years, the shade vacillated between bright orange and burnt orange. Coach Darrell Royal revived burnt orange as the preferred shade for good in the early 1960s, abandoning bright orange for a hue that more closely matched that of a football.
Hook ’em Horns
Head cheerleader Harley Clark helped create the Hook ’em Horns hand symbol in 1955 by demonstrating it at a pep rally before the TCU game. He and roommate H.K. Pitts developed the sign the night before by experimenting with shadow puppets. Texas lost the game but gained a new tradition.
The Eyes of Texas
UT’s school song, “The Eyes of Texas,” was written and performed in 1903 by students, poking fun at a favorite saying of then-President William Prather. Read more about the history of "The Eyes of Texas". Today it is sung at the end of sporting events and university ceremonies. In the summer of 2020, President Jay Hartzell announced that UT will own, acknowledge and teach about all aspects of the origins of “The Eyes of Texas” as we continue to sing it moving forward with a redefined vision that unites our community. Those efforts are underway.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you all the livelong day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you, you cannot get away.
Do not think you can escape them at night or early in the morn.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you till Gabriel blows his horn.
Texas Fight!
“Texas Fight!” was first performed at the 1923 football game vs. Texas A&M and quotes “The Eyes of Texas” after the yell section:
Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and it’s goodbye to A&M.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and we’ll put over one more win.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight, for it’s Texas that we love best.
(YELL) Give ’em hell! Give ’em hell! Go Horns go!
And it’s goodbye to all the rest!
(YELL)
Yea Orange! Yea White!
Yea Longhorns! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Texas Fight! Texas Fight! Yea Texas Fight!
Texas Fight! Texas Fight! Yea Texas Fight!
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
All the livelong day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
You cannot get away.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
For it’s Texas that we love best.
(YELL) Give ‘em hell! Give ’em hell! Go Horns go!
And it’s goodbye to all the rest!
Big Bertha
Among the many traditions of the Longhorn Band (“The Showband of the Southwest”) is the world’s largest bass drum, Big Bertha. A five-member team of band members wrangles this 500-pound behemoth, which measures 8 feet in diameter.
Gone to Texas
When Southerners began leaving their homes in the 1820s and 1830s, many would simply scrawl “GTT” with chalk on their cabin doors or fence posts — for “Gone To Texas.” Today, nearly two centuries later, “Gone To Texas” is a phrase used with pride by those accepted to The University of Texas at Austin, also known as “Texas.” On the eve of their first day of class, thousands of excited freshmen gather in front of the Tower for “Gone To Texas,” a huge celebration of all things UT. It is the official start of Longhorn life.
Lighting the Tower
Since its opening in 1937, the Tower has acted as a symbol of the UT community’s mood, whether signaling pride, celebration or mourning. Special configurations of orange and white light let the world know what’s on our minds. Additionally, numbers can be created by turning on certain lights in the building’s offices, including a 1 for national championships, a jersey number for a Heisman winner, or the last two digits of a graduating class.
Smokey the Cannon
Smokey the Cannon was built in 1953 by the university's mechanical engineering laboratory in answer to the traditional gunshot blasts heard at Texas-Oklahoma football games. Smokey, traditionally operated by the Texas Cowboys student organization, and firing four 10-gauge shotgun shells simultaneously, is discharged every time the Longhorn football team scores and at the end of winning games.
Good Luck Squirrels
Tradition has it that any student who sees a white squirrel on the way to a test will get an A. The squirrels are not albinos but rather white fox squirrels, with brown eyes and not pink.
Forty Acres
