Washington State University

Spirit & Traditions

Wazzu

An informal name for the school is Wazzu.

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Colors

The first school colors were pink and blue, by the first WSU President when he was so in awe of the blue and pink sunset. Research has not uncovered the exact date when the official colors changed, although Crimson and Gray are thought to have been the colors by 1916, when the "Indians" won the first of the annual Rose Bowls.

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Cougar Mascot

The first mascot was a terrier named "Squirt". It is believed the terrier was selected because someone brought their pet dog to campus.

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1910-1919 is called the Decade of the "Carlisle Connection." Three football coaches arrive from the famous Carlisle Indian college in Pennsylvania: Frank Shivley, William "Lone Star" Dietz and Gus Welch. The mascot becomes the "Indians."

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Following the first football game between WSC and California in 1919 (WSC beat the Cal Bears 14-0), an Oakland cartoonist portrayed the Washington State team as fierce Northwest cougars chasing the defeated Golden Bears. A few days later on October 28, WSC students officially designated "Cougars" as their team mascot.

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Butch, the Cougar Nickname

In 1927 during the Homecoming football game against the University of Idaho, Governor Roland Hartley presented a cougar cub to the WSU students. Butch was originally to be called "Governor Hartley," in honor of its donor. The governor gracefully declined and suggested the name "Butch," in honor of Herbert "Butch" Meeker of Spokane, who was WSU's gridiron football star at the time.

Related Topics:
Homecoming - University of Idaho

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Governor Clarence D. Martin presented Butch II to the student body in 1938. Butch III and IV were twin cubs presented by Governor Arthur B. Langlie in January 1942. Governor Langlie also presented Butch V in 1955. Butch VI, the last live mascot on campus, died in the summer of 1978. Governor Albert Rosellini had presented him to WSU in 1964 from the Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.

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Today, the mascot is a student who donns a cougar mascot suit. The student mascot is a John Doe; their identity only revealed after their last big event, usually the last home basketball game of the season.

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Herbert "Butch" Meeker

Not too many mascots are named after students, so this is worth talking about. Butch, was a stand-out football player in high school in Spokane, but he wasn't getting much attention from college football recruiters. So his high school coach gave a call into the University of Washington. UW declined to offer Butch a spot on the team, citing his small size. However, WSC did.

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Butch became the star of the team and an All-American. In his senior year of 1927, the 5-foot-5, 145-pound halfback led the football team to a successful 6-1 season. Most importantly, he scored the winning touchdown against UW. Butch was also Student Body Vice President and a member of Crimson Circle, the prestigious senior men's honorary.

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Victory Bell

In the late 1800's the bell was mounted on the ground in the center of campus to start and dismiss class. Later, it was placed on top of Old College Hall when automatic bells were used, and then on Bryan Hall. The bell was first rung in victory after WSC beat the Washington Huskies by the women's basketball team in 1902. Later, the members of the Intercollegiate Knights rang the bell following a football win. It was subsequently moved to the present College Hall, and now rests on the west side of the Alumni Centre where it is rung by the Student Alumni Connection after each football win.

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Football Touchdown Traditions

After each cougar touchdown, a cannon operated by the ROTC fires a blank off the Compton Union Building and the cheerleaders do a pushup for each point in the cumulative score.

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Palouse Walk

The Palouse Walk tradition started when the sports editor of the Argonaut, the U of I student newspaper, challenged the Evergreen's editor Lloyd Salt. The challenge was that the person would have to walk the 8 miles to the winner's campus if their team lost. The Cougars won and McGowan walked the 8 miles to WSU. The Idaho Walk lasted through till the 1974 football season. The Cougars only walked 3 times in that 36-year span.

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Intercollegiate Knights

Two stuffed cougars served as mascots between 1919 and 1927. They were the target of several attempted cat-nappings so the "Cougar Guard" was formed to protect them. The group eventually became the Cougar Guard Chapter of Intercollegiate Knights.

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Senior Bench

A gift from the Class of 1910, the Senior Bench is adjacent to yet another WSU tradition, "Hello Walk." Only WSU seniors were allowed to sit on the bench. Any other students observed occupying it were subject to discipline by the Student Vigilante Committee.

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Green Beanies

In 1922, freshman had to go through a right of passage to be accepted by the rest of the campus. According to the May 20, 1922 Daily Evergreen, freshmen had to accomplish three tasks to "bask favorably in the public eye." They had to paint their class numerals on a 100-foot tall chimney known as the "totem pole," though the Sophomore Class would try to thwart their efforts. The second trial involved meeting the Sophomore Class for midnight combat. The losers were thrown into Silver Lake, a man-made lake located where the Field house stands today. And finally, an official, "lawfully regulated" contest of some sort between the same two classes was held. The freshmen were then obliged to wear their green caps the Monday following registration, rain or shine. On Campus Day, held in May, the freshmen rid themselves of the hats by way of incinerating them in "frosh-fire."

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