this is kansas
KU K UT TRADITION RADITION
THE ROCK CHALK CHANT The Rock Chalk Chant has been the battle cry of KU fans for more than 80 years. This strange, traditional chant, which is among the most famous of all college cheers, was started by E.H.S. Bailey, a professor of chemistry. Bailey wanted a cheer for his Science Club. Returning from a convention in Wichita, Bailey and some associates patterned a yell after the rhythmic cadence of their train rolling along the tracks. On May 21, 1886, Bailey submitted the cheer to his club. Before the University adopted the cheer in 1897, it consisted of “Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, KU” being repeated three times. An English professor soon suggested that “Rock Chalk” be substituted for “Rah, Rah” because it rhymed with Jayhawk. “Rock Chalk” was also symbolic of the chalky limestone formations found on Mount Oread. Teddy Roosevelt once said the Rock Chalk chant was the best he had ever heard. CAMPANILE HILL Campanile Hill forms the picturesque backdrop for Memorial Stadium. On a sunny fall Saturday, the “Hill” is transformed into a congregating place for watching Jayhawk football, sunning and barbequing. Potter Lake, just to the southeast of Memorial Stadium and at the bottom of Campanile Hill, adds to the beauty of the Kansas campus. WAVING THE WHEAT Since the early days of KU sports, it has been a ritual of Jayhawk fans to “wave the wheat” following every Kansas scoring drive. The ritual consists of fans waving their arms in the air, an activity which, when done by a large crowd, resembles a breezy Kansas wheat field. THE NICKNAME During the Civil War a regiment raised by Kansas Governor Charles Robinson called itself the “Independent Mounted Jayhawks” (later officially the First Kansas Calvary and then the Seventh Kansas Regiment). By the end of the Civil War the word Jayhawk was associated with the spirit of camaraderie and the courageous fighting qualities that characterized efforts to keep Kansas a free state. By 1886, the University of Kansas had adopted the mythical bird as part of the KU yell. When the university’s football team first took the field in 1890, it seemed only natural that they should be called Jayhawkers. Few colleges and universities have such a meaningful symbol, one so deeply associated with the struggles of the people who founded them.
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2012 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE