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Shasta
... the Alma Mater, the Fight Song and other stirring
tunes ... the Cougar Sign ... the School Colors ... Learn
more about these and many other UH traditions:
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| Alma
Mater |
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All
hail to thee,
Our Houston University.
Our hearts fill with gladness
When we think of thee.
We'll always adore thee
Dear old varsity.
And to thy memory cherished,
True we'll ever be.
Words
and music by Harmony Class of 1942 |
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Fight Song |
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Cougars fight for dear old U of H
For our Alma Mater cheer.
Fight for Houston University
For victory is near.
When
the going gets so rough and tough
We never worry cause we got the stuff.
So fight, fight, fight for red and white
And we will go to victory.
Lyrics:
Forest Fountain — Music: Marion Ford
Listen
to the Fight Song
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UH Seal |
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The
seal of the University of Houston, officially adopted
in 1938, is the coat-of-arms of General Sam Houston, who
claimed descent from a Norman knight, Sir Hugh.
The
legend is that Sir Hugh fought well at Hastings and
was given lands by King William I on the Scottish border
for his services. He built a stronghold there called
Hughstown, and eventually, "Houstoun." Sir
Hugh supposedly became a vassal of Malcolm III, King
of Scotland and son of Duncan I, who was murdered by
Macbeth. Malcolm III returned from exile to kill Macbeth
in battle and gained the Scottish throne in 1057. On
a raid across the border into England, Malcolm III became
hard pressed by opposing forces and Sir Hugh came just
in time to save him.
In
return, King Malcolm gave Sir Hugh a Scottish knighthood
and better lands in Renwickshire. More importantly,
the king gave permission for his rescuer to embellish
and change his coat-of-arms. The simple escutcheon awarded
by William the Conqueror, consisting of checkered chevrons
(denoting nobility) and three ravens (strength and long
life) was changed considerably. A winged hourglass was
added above the shield and surmounting this, the motto,
"In Tempore" (In Time). Greyhounds were placed
at the sides to indicate the speed with which Sir Hugh
came to the king's aid. Martlets, gentle Lowland birds
symbolizing peace and deliverance, supplanted the ravens.
The
seal was adopted by UH in 1938 in conjunction with the
construction of the campus. The first official version
was placed on the floor of the Roy Cullen Building. |
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UH Colors |
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The
official colors of the University of Houston are Scarlet
Red and Albino White. These were the colors of Sam Houston's
ancestor, Sir Hugh, and were adopted by UH at the same
time as the seal. Scarlet Red represents "the blood
of royalty that was spared due to the timely arrival of
Sir Hugh and the blood that is the life source of the
soul." Albino White denotes "the purity and
perfections of the heart, mind and soul engaged in the
effort to serve faithfully that which is by right and
reason, justfully served." In layman's terms, the
red stands for courage or inner strength to face the unknown,
and the white stands for the good of helping one's fellow
man. |
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Cougar Sign |
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The
cougar sign, made by folding in the ring finger of the
hand towards the palm, has several stories explaining
its meaning. The true story of its origin, however, dates
back to 1953, the first time UH played the University
of Texas in football. Since this was their first meeting,
members of Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity in
charge of taking care of Shasta I, the university's mascot,
brought her to the game. During the trip, Shasta's front
paw was caught in the car door and one toe was cut off.
At the game, members of the opposing team discovered what
had happened and began taunting UH players by holding
up their hands with the ring finger bent, saying UH's
mascot was an invalid and so were our players. Texas went
on to win this game 28-7. UH students were very upset
by this and began using the sign as notice that they would
never let UT forget the incident. Fifteen years later,
at their second meeting, the UH Cougars, proudly holding
up the now adopted symbol of UH pride, fought Texas to
a 20-20 tie. UH
did not play Texas again for eight years, our first
year as members of the Southwest Conference. The Cougars
were on a mission, and in front of 77,809 spectators
(at that time the largest crowd ever in attendance at
Memorial Stadium) slammed the lid on the disgrace Texas
had attempted to put upon UH 23 years earlier. The final
score was the University of Houston Cougars, 30, the
Texas Longhorns, 0. |
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