Illinois Loyalty is the main school song of the University of Illinois.
First performed March 3, 1906, 'Illinois Loyalty' is one of the oldest songs of its kind in the United States. The song was written by Thacher Guild specifically for the Marching Illini.
The march is now used by several high schools in Illinois and other states—-for example, Batavia (Illinois) High School, Morgan (Utah) High School, Marshfield (Wisconsin) High School, Medford (Minnesota) High School, Hollywood (California) High School, and Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) High School—as the tune for their fight song; and is the official alma mater of Long Beach Polytechnic High School (California).
Due to the song's length (over a minute long), it is normally played only at the beginning, halftime, and end of a game. However, it is not considered rousing enough for a large crowd at a game. For that reason, Oskee Wow-Wow was written five years later as the school's fight song.
Other prominent composers who wrote marches for the University of Illinois include John Philip Sousa ("University of Illinois March"), Edwin Franko Goldman ("March Illinois") and Karl L. King ("Pride of the Illini").
Read more about Illinois Loyalty: Lyrics
Famous quotes containing the words illinois and/or loyalty:
“An Illinois woman has invented a portable house which can be carried about in a cart or expressed to the seashore. It has also folding furniture and a complete camping outfit.”
—Lydia Hoyt Farmer (1842–1903)
“As we try to change, we will discover within us a fierce struggle between our loyalty to that battle-scarred victim of his own childhood, our father, and the father we want to be. We must meet our childhood father at close range: get to know him, learn to forgive him, and somehow, go beyond him.”
—Augustus Y. Napier (20th century)