JNW - Northwestern Football Traditions

Northwestern Football Traditions

• Northwestern Stripes

In 1928, Northwestern added a unique sleeve-stripe pattern to its jerseys: a narrow stripe, over a wide center stripe, over a narrow stripe. The jersey was considered one of the first modern football uniforms, and was soon replicated across football. The sleeve striping was such a fixture of the program that the pattern eventually became known as "Northwestern stripes." Northwestern stripes have not always appeared on NU football jerseys, though the team's current uniforms sport the pattern.

• Willie the Wildcat

Even before the Wildcats became the official school nickname for NU, a caged live bear cub named Furpaw was the team's mascot. In 1923, however, the team had a bad season and decided the mascot was bad luck. During the following season, the nickname Wildcats was officially adopted by the university after the teams defense was described as a "wall of Purple wildcats" by Chicago Sun-Times writer Wallace Abbey. Previously, the team was either known as the Purple or the Fighting Methodists. In 1933, the NU athletic department and an ad agency, created the first image of Willie the Wildcat, though he did not come to life until 1947 when Alpha Delta fraternity members dressed up as the mascot.

• Camp Kenosha

Since 1992, when Barnett decided to move the team's preseason practices off-campus, NU has conducted Camp Kenosha, its preseason camp on the campus of University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha, WI.

• Laking the Posts

After significant victories, the student section would tear down the goalposts and toss them into Lake Michigan. When Ryan field was built, the playing field was purposely lowered 5 feet below the lowest section to prevent students from storming the field.

• The Marshmallow Toss

Marshmellows were often tossed into the tubas of the Northwestern marching band.

• The Purple Clock

Starting with the 1995 season, the clockface of the Rebecca Crown Tower on the NU campus would change from white to purple following an NU win . Since the 1997 season, if the Wildcats win their final game of the season, the clock will remain purple for the entire off-season. In the past few years, the tradition has been expanded to honor championships in other NU varsity sports including lacrosse and tennis.

• Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band

The students and the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band generally sit in one section near the goal line. The cheerleaders and marching band lead the students with certain cheers, such as "Go U, NU," and "Let's go 'Cats!" In a tradition called the "Growl", started by the marching band in the 1960s, the students extend their arms and make a claw with their hands like that of a wildcat while screaming to intimidate and confuse opposing teams' offenses. Northwestern students also sing the fight song after scoring. The "Alma Mater" (the traditional school song, different from the fight song, "Go U Northwestern") is usually sung at the end of the game and played by the marching band at halftime

• Push-ups

Cheerleaders, along with Willie the Wildcat and the marching band's "Spirit Team", perform push-ups after every touchdown, equal to Northwestern's cumulative score. While lots of mascots do push-ups after touchdowns, the unique aspect at NU is that the student section will follow suit, usually hoisting selected fellow students up into the air while in the stands, counting out the number of NU points on the scoreboard.

• Keys at Kickoff

Other notable traditions include the jiggling of keys before every kickoff. This action plays on Northwestern's academic rigors, and is meant to symbolize that regardless of how the game turns out, the opposing school's graduates will eventually be parking the cars of the Northwestern students. The generic "State School" chant is also employed.

• Gator chomp

Northwestern cheerleaders used to perform this act, but discontinued this practice in 1999 after complaints arose that this mimicked the University of Florida's chomp. This was revived for one game after a request to the cheerleading squad from a nostalgic student.

• Put your hands up in the air

Before the 4th quarter of Northwestern football games a video screen plays the song "Put Your Hands Up in the Air" by Danzel, preceded by an announcement by a local celebrity. Celebrity announcers have included Pat Fitzgerald, Brian Urlacher, Mike Ditka, and Patrick Kane.