Hook 'em Horns

2025-11-01T21:08:50Z

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{{Short description|Chant and hand gesture of the University of Texas at Austin}}
{{about|University of Texas at Austin hand gesture|the University’s mascot|Hook 'Em|other uses of this hand gesture|sign of the horns}}

[[File:hookemhorns.jpg|right|thumbnail|A fan displays the Hook 'em Horns during a Texas football game versus Arkansas.]]
'''Hook 'em Horns''' is the chant and hand signal of [[The University of Texas at Austin]]. Students, alumni, and fans of the university employ a greeting consisting of the phrase "Hook 'em" or "Hook 'em Horns" to show school pride.

The [[gesture]] is meant to approximate the shape of the head and horns of the [[University of Texas at Austin|UT]] mascot, the [[Texas longhorn (cattle)|Texas Longhorn]] [[Bevo (mascot)|Bevo]]. The sign is made by extending the index and pinky fingers while grasping the second and third fingers with the thumb. The arm in use is usually extended, but the sign can also be given with the arm bent at the elbow. The sign is often seen at sporting events, during the playing of the school song "[[The Eyes of Texas]]",<ref name="Lady Bird Eyes">{{cite news | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aPqV0aPKMI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/2aPqV0aPKMI| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live| title=Lady Bird Johnson Funeral - The Eyes of Texas | access-date=2007-08-03}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and during the playing of the school fight song "[[Texas Fight]]". It is one of the most recognized hand signals of all American universities. A variant of the Horns, formed upside down with the thumb pointed outward, is often used by rivals of the Longhorns and is considered insulting, especially when performed by a player or coach of the team in question.

==History==

[[File:Hook em bush.jpg|right|thumbnail|[[George W. Bush]] displays the Hook 'em Horns.]]
The first known usage of the "Hook 'em" phrase comes from a South Saint Paul Booster Club organized for the [[Saint Paul Winter Carnival]] in 1916<ref>{{cite web|last=Goossens |first=LouAnn|url=http://lgoossens.blogspot.com/2012/02/hook-em-cows-ssp-style.html |title=Hook'Em Cows, SSP Style |publisher=lgoossens.blogspot.com |date=2012-02-07 |access-date=2020-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Glewwe |first=Lois|url=https://issuu.com/stpaulpublishing/docs/ssp-feb-2011 |title=Remembering the Hook-Em-Cows |publisher=South Saint Paul Voice |date=2001-01-24 |access-date=2020-03-18}}</ref> and achieved national scope from use at the [[University of Minnesota]] through the 1930s. Minnesota didn't trademark the phrase or the hand signal. Neither did the University of Iowa. There was also a Texas basketball team during the 1930s known as the "Hook 'Em Cows" which may have contributed to the use of the phrase and gesture at the [[University of Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Popik |first=Barry |url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/hook_em_horns_hook_em_cows/ |title=Texas, The Lone Star State: "Hook "Em Horns" & "Hook 'Em Cows" |publisher=Barrypopik.com |date=2006-12-31 |access-date=2014-03-19}}</ref>
[[File:Statue with a longhorn symbol.jpg|right|thumbnail|A statue of a musician at The University of Texas at Austin.]]
In 1955,<ref>{{Cite web|title=TSHA {{!}} Hook ’em Horns|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hook-em-horns|access-date=2021-10-29|website=www.tshaonline.org}}</ref> Harley Clark, who would later introduce the signal, got the idea for the hand-sign from his colleagues Tom Butts and Henry K. Pitts, who had been casting shadows on the wall at the Texas Union.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}} Clark was a member of the [[Tejas Club]], as well as head cheerleader at UT, a position that was elected by the student body. "It was second only in importance to the Texas governor," he jokes.<ref>[http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/pages/proudtrads/hookem.html Proud Traditions: Hook 'em Horns] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626142217/http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/pages/proudtrads/hookem.html |date=2006-06-26 }} ''Mack Brown-Texas Football''.</ref> Clark showed an enthusiastic student body the sign a few nights later at a football pep rally at Gregory Gym. According to Neal Spelce, who attended the rally when he was a student at the university, "a lot of people didn't get it right at first,"<ref>Clark, Noelene. [http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2005/10/21/TopStories/50.Years.Of.hook.em.Horns-1029452.shtml 50 years of 'Hook 'em Horns'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520014956/http://www.dailytexanonline.com/media/paper410/news/2005/10/21/
<gallery>
[[File:Statue_with_a_longhorn_symbol.jpg|thumb|alt=A statue of a musician at the capus of Austin University |A statue of a musician at the capus of Austin University ]]
</gallery>
TopStories/50.Years.Of.hook.em.Horns-1029452.shtml |date=2006-05-20 }} ''[[The Daily Texan]]''. October 21, 2005.</ref> but it caught on rapidly from there. By the thousands, students extended an arm to create the now famous salute. The next day, at the [[Texas Longhorn Athletics|Texas Longhorn]] vs. [[Texas Christian University|TCU]] football game, Clark stood in awe as the "Hook 'em Horns" hand sign surged from one side of the stadium to the other.

Within a few years, the symbol was widely known to football fans across the state and country. [[Sports Illustrated]] featured the Hook 'em Horns symbol in front of a Texas pennant on the cover of their 10 September 1973 issue.<ref name="Sports_Illustrated">{{cite journal| title=No. 1 - Hook 'em Horns! | journal=Sports Illustrated | date=1973-09-10}}</ref> That issue of the magazine highlighted the Texas football program as the best in the nation at that time.<ref name="Sports_Illustrated" />

Beginning in 2004, The University of Texas has featured the slogan in a television advertisement titled "Rallying Cry". The advertisement is one of nine ads that make up the "What Starts Here Changes the World" campaign, all of which are narrated by university alumnus [[Walter Cronkite]]. The narration for "Rallying Cry" is:

:Is there a rallying cry for the thinkers and doers of tomorrow? A motto that sums up their passion for creativity and their pursuit of discovery? Sure there is: "Hook 'em, Horns". We're Texas. What starts here...changes the world.<ref>[http://www.utexas.edu/inside_ut/tvspot/ What Starts Here Changes the World: TV Spots] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215043720/http://www.utexas.edu/inside_ut/tvspot/ |date=2005-12-15 }} ''Inside UT''.</ref>

The hand gesture is not featured in the advertisement, which shows an aerial view flying along [[Interstate 35]], then over downtown [[Austin, Texas]], past the [[Texas State Capitol]] and finally arriving at the [[Main Building of The University of Texas at Austin|Tower of the Main Building]] as Cronkite says the slogan. The advertisements are typically run during [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] sporting events.

==Identical gestures==
{{Main|Sign of the horns}}
In other parts of the world, as in many Mediterranean and Latin countries, such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Colombia and Mexico, the identical [[corna]] gesture is often used to imply [[cuckold]]ry. The gesture is also sometimes associated with the occult and satanism. The images of [[Jenna Bush]] publicly "throwing the horns" made headlines on tabloid news in [[Norway]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Sjokkhilsen fra Bush-datter|url=http://www.nettavisen.no/nyheter/utenriks/sjokkhilsen-fra-bush-datter/333079.html|publisher=[[Nettavisen]]|access-date=29 May 2016|date=2005-01-20}}</ref> and caused the First Lady's press secretary, Gordon Johndroe, to giggle when he discovered the gesture, signed on one hand ("the head") in conjunction with flapping of the fingers on other hand (the "business end"), means bullshit in sign language.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/jenna-mixed-signals-article-1.624726 |title=Jenna's Mixed Signals |publisher=[[NY Daily News]] |date=2005-01-21 |access-date=2014-03-19}}</ref>

In 1985, five Americans were arrested, due to its satanic connotations after dancing and displaying the gesture in front of the [[Vatican City|Vatican]].<ref>''The Definitive Book of Body Language'', p. 123, [[Allan Pease]], {{ISBN|0-7528-6118-2}}</ref> According to an article authored by Jack Douglas, Jr., in Russia, it's a derogatory symbol for the newly rich, arrogant and poorly educated.<ref name="Douglas, Jr. 7C">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Rw9ZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JEYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6922%2C4710032 |title='Hook 'em Horns' sign has different meanings in different cultures | last=Douglas | first=Jack Jr. |page=7C |publisher=[[The Victoria Advocate]] |date=2005-01-23 |access-date=2014-03-19}}</ref>

The sign is also heavily used as a symbol for [[heavy metal music|Heavy Metal music]] and sub-culture since the early 1970s.<ref name="Douglas, Jr. 7C"/> It was popularized by the singer [[Ronnie James Dio]] during concerts.

==Similar uses for college athletics==

Angelo State University Rams fans make the hook 'em sign but bend the knuckles a bit to look like a ram's horns.

Fans of [[Texas Christian University]] Horned Frogs athletics make a peace sign and then bend their index and middle fingers to resemble the cranial horns of the horned lizard.

Fans of [[North Carolina State University]] Wolfpack athletics use a similar gesture with the middle and ring fingers moving up and down over the thumb to mimic the wolf's jaw.

Fans of [[North Dakota State University]] Bison athletics also use a similar hand gesture, known as "Go Bison!" The pinky and index fingers are usually slightly bent, however, to mimic the shape of a [[American bison|bison's]] horns.

Fans of [[University of Utah]] athletics, particularly football and gymnastics, use a gesture where the index and pinky finger are straight and parallel to each other, forming a block "U."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alumni.utah.edu/muss/membership/ |title=MUSS - Student Cheer Section for the U of U Utes - University of Utah Alumni Association | MUSS |publisher=Alumni.utah.edu |date=2011-03-18 |access-date=2012-08-13 |archive-date=2016-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918094258/https://www.alumni.utah.edu/muss/membership/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Fans of [[Northwestern State University]] Demon athletics also use a similar hand gesture, known as "Fork 'em!" The pinky and index fingers are extended but a little more parallel to each other resembling the horns on a demon.

[[Arizona State University]] [[Arizona State Sun Devils|Sun Devils]] fans make a pitchfork sign by extending the index and middle fingers, as well as the pinky. The thumb holds down the ring finger to complete the gesture. The same gesture is used by fans of the Univ. of Houston Cougars making a cat's paw, and [[Wichita State Shockers]], which in this case represents a stylized "W".

Fans of the [[University of California, Irvine]] Anteaters use a similar sign with the middle and ring fingers out to resemble the head of the mighty anteater.

Fans of [[University of Nevada, Reno]] Wolf Pack athletics use a similar sign with the middle and ring fingers out to resemble the wolf's snout.

Fans of the [[University of South Florida]] Bulls use the same hand gesture to represent bullhorns.<ref>{{cite web|title=USF Student Traditions|url=http://www.gousfbulls.com/news/2009/3/19/3696500.aspx|website=USF Athletics|access-date=15 August 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Fans of the [[University of South Carolina]] use a similar sign with the thumb and pinky finger to resemble the spurs of a gamecock.

==In popular culture==
*In 2006, [[country rap]] artist [[Cowboy Troy]] released a single called "Hook 'em Horns" as a tribute to The University of Texas at Austin.
*Professional wrestler [[Stan Hansen]] used the Hook 'em Horns as his signature taunt.
*[[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]] also makes use of the symbol during his entrances for wrestling (as the Devil Horns), and used it to openly mock [[Jim Ross]] who was an Oklahoma Sooners Football fan during a June 2008 episode of Raw.
*Former UT football player [[Roy Williams (wide receiver)|Roy Williams]] flashed the symbol after scoring his first touchdown as a Dallas Cowboy.
*Former UT and former [[Oklahoma City Thunder]] basketball player [[Kevin Durant]] frequently displays a Hook 'em Horns hand sign, much to the chagrin of Thunder fans, due to the long and storied [[Red River Rivalry|rivalry]] between UT and the [[University of Oklahoma]] [[Oklahoma Sooners|Sooners]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/02/kevin-durant-offers-advice-for-slumping.html |title=Kevin Durant offers advice for slumping Texas | College Sports Blog |publisher=Collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com |date=2010-02-16 |access-date=2012-08-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224131714/http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/02/kevin-durant-offers-advice-for-slumping.html |archive-date=2012-02-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=MIKE FINGER, Austin Bureau |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/6281616.html |title=Durant has jersey retired at halftime of UT-Tech game - Houston Chronicle |publisher=Chron.com |date=2009-02-25 |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref>
*Former UT and [[Philadelphia Eagles]] quarterback [[Vince Young]] was involved in an altercation outside a Dallas strip club on June 13, 2010 after being provoked by a man who flashed him an upside-down Hook 'em Horns sign.<ref>{{cite web|author=Calvin WatkinsESPNDallas.comFollowArchive |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=5282771 |title=Tennessee Titans' Vince Young given citation by Dallas police after fight at strip club - ESPN |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=2010-06-14 |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Hook 'em Horns.ogg|date=2005-11-29}}
{{Commons}}

{{Gestures}}
{{University of Texas at Austin|traditions}}

[[Category:Hand gestures]]
[[Category:Texas Longhorns]]
[[Category:University of Texas at Austin]]

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Hook 'em Horns