The Cornell Colors
The Cornell colors were actually established on the University's Inauguration Day on Oct. 7, 1868. The account from Morris Bishop's A History of Cornell follows:
At sunrise on Inauguration Day, said the New York Times envoy, "from all the hills poured forth delightful music, and every few minutes the thunder of artillery from the eastern hills responded to the booming of cannon from a lofty eminence on the west side of town." Students and citizens thronged to Library Hall, which was tastefully decorated with marble vases of flowers and a large cross covered with moss, entwined with myrtle. One the side wall, the motto of the new university was blazoned in evergreen letters, and behind the speakers the illustrious names of CORNELL and WHITE appeared in large white letters against artistically draped red flannel, on which stars cut out of silver paper were pinned at pleasing intervals. Thus, entirely unintentionally, the Cornell colors were established for all time, on the first Cornell banner.
Although the Cornell football team was defeated 12-6 in the 1898 Thanksgiving Day game by the University of Pennsylvania, the Big Red made quite an impression that day.
The team's colors impressed Herberton L. Williams, comptroller and general manager of Campbell Soup Co., who attended that game in Philadelphia.
The story is that Williams was impressed by the brilliance of Cornell's red and white uniforms and later insisted that the company adopt those colors for the labels on its cans. The company's original colors were black and orange. The new colors began appearing in 1899.
That decision has been a lasting one. There has been little change in the design of the basic labels and no change in their color since then.
The Cornell Mascot
Cornell has never had an official mascot, but early in the school's athletic history a bear took over as its most recognizable symbol.
The first live Cornell bear mascot appeared in 1915 during Cornell's undefeated and national championship football season. Since that time, there were three others.
The last edition - Touchdown IV - was never allowed on Schoellkopf Field despite strong publicity campaigns by the Cornell Daily Sun and undergraduate groups.
The bear was invited to Cleveland by the Cornell alumni in the city, and was then shipped in a dog cage, to Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio State-Cornell game. At this point, the Animal Protective League stepped in and decreed that the bear was to be let loose in the wilds of Western Pennsylvania.
The current mascot is a Cornell undergraduate who performs at various varsity athletic events, including at all football and men's ice hockey games.
The Cornell Nickname
The nickname "Big Red" for Cornell teams originated in 1905. The late Romeyn Berry '04, then a recent Cornell graduate, was writing the lyrics for a new football song. Since Cornell had no nickname at the time, Berry simply referred to Cornell as the "big red team" and it caught on. Berry was graduate manager of athletics from 1919 through 1935 and was recognized as an outstanding authority on Cornell, its traditions and personalities. He was a distinguished writer and newspaper columnist locally. For his musical composition Berry won $25. The song earned a spot in the Cornell Verses, joining rowing songs and other lyrics descriptive of Cornell life.
The Big, Red Team
See them plunging down to the goal
See the ruddy banners stream
Hear the crashing echoes roll
As we cheer for the big, red team
Yea! Yea! Yea!
Chorus
Cheer till the sound wakes the blue hills around
Make the scream of the north wind yield
To the strength of the yell from the men of Cornell
When the big, red team takes the field
Yea! Yea! Yea!
The Cornell Songs
Alma Mater
Far above Cayuga's waters
With its waves of blue,
Stands our noble Alma Mater,
Glorious to view
Chorus
Lift the chorus, speed it onward,
Loud her praises tell.
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater,
Hail, all hail, Cornell
Far above the busy humming
Of the bustling town,
Reared against the arch of Heaven,
Looks she proudly down
Cornell Victorious
From blue Cayuga
From hill and dell,
Far rings the story of the glory of Cornell.
From east and west the crashing echoes answ'ring call.
"Cornell Victorious; the champions of all."
Cheer! Cheer! Here we are again,
To cheer with all our might!
Cheer! Cheer! Here we are again,
To cheer for the Red and White-Fight! Fight! Fight!
Cornellian colors we'll defend;
We'll hear the echo of our cheer.
Oh, here we are! Here we are again!
(Repeat the first five lines)
Give My Regards To Davy
(After each touchdown/goal)
Give my regards to Davy,
Remember me to Teefy Crane,
Tell all the pikers on the Hill
That I'll be back again.
Tell them of how I busted
Lapping up the high, high ball
We'll all have drinks at Theodore Zinck's
When I get back next fall.
