Illinois fans are used to hearing the school’s fight song around campus, but a lot went into the tune before it was blasted at every sporting event. Every school in the now 18-team Big Ten Conference has its own version of a fight song, but how did they all come to be?
Illinois: “Oskee-Wow-Wow”
Originating in 1910 by two University students, Harold Vater Hill and Ruggles Green, the song was used for a student opera competition. They decided to sell it to the manager of the University supply store, and the rest is history.
The song was eventually published in 1915 and named the school’s official fight song shortly after. It is now played following first downs and touchdowns in football and opposing timeouts when Illinois has the lead in basketball.
Indiana: “Indiana, Our Indiana”
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Taking influence from the legendary march music composer Karl King, Indiana made its version called “Indiana, Our Indiana” one year after King’s in 1912.
Although the song was first played in a football home loss to Northwestern in late November 1912, it has seen plenty of success, especially in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, where it has made its way through five national championships and captures the passion the fans have for hoops.
Iowa: “Fight! Fight! Fight for Iowa”
“Fight! Fight! Fight! for Iowa” has rung throughout the stands of Kinnick Stadium since 1950. It began when Iowa native Meredith Wilson introduced the song on a national radio broadcast. It was an immediate hit for Iowans.
Funny enough, the song is a contrafact to “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” also made by Wilson. It’s a fast-paced, easy-to-remember song that continues to bring the atmosphere to Iowa sporting events.
Maryland: “Maryland Fight Song”
Written and composed in 1939 by freshman Ralph Davis, the “Maryland Fight Song” was implemented shortly after. One unique fact about this song is that it is played after opponents score, and the lyrics explain why: “Go on and fight! fight! fight! for Terrapin!/ Keep on fighting till we win!”
It is a constant reminder for Terrapin fans to always stand by their team’s side and cheer on their athletes.
Michigan: “The Victors”
One of the most famous and iconic fight songs of all time, “The Victors,” has been a staple throughout Michigan’s sporting dominance.
It originated in 1898 by Louis Elbel, a music student at Michigan, following Michigan’s clinching of the Western Conference Championship with a 12-11 win over the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The fans sing and clap along to the whole song, raising their fists at the word “Hail” and then closing out the song with a classic Michigan cheer, “Go Blue!” It has continued to be a staple of Michigan athletics and iconic fight songs nationwide.
Michigan State: “Victory for MSU”
Francis Irving Lankey was inspired by the great fight songs of Wisconsin and Michigan. After back-to-back road wins over them in 1913, he made Michigan State’s own.
Almost 100 years later, it’s regarded as one of the greatest college fight songs. It has received high praise from notable sports sites such as ESPN and Bleacher Report. It encapsulates the passion of Michigan State athletics and fans while cheering “Victory for MSU!”
Minnesota: “Minnesota Rouser”
In 1909, the two major newspapers in Minnesota, The Minnesota Daily and The Minneapolis Tribune, had a competition to find a new song for the Minnesota football team.
They selected “Minnesota Rouser.” Floyd Hutsell, choir director of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, wrote the song that includes a unique Minnesotan phrase, “Ski-U-Mah,” which originated in 1884 when two Minnesota football players combined “Ski-U,” a Native American word they thought meant victory, with “Mah,” a cheer that rhymes with the typical “Rah” in most fight songs.
Nebraska: “Hail Varsity”
“Hail Varsity” was adopted in 1937 after Joyce Ayres and Wilbur Chenoweth created the song a year earlier. It is one of five other fight songs; however, “Hail Varsity” is the main one played in Lincoln.
Uniquely, it is one of the only fight songs that has a trumpet solo in the song. It adds a lot of flair to the already energetic song and gives many flashbacks of Nebraska’s prime days when they dominated the college football world.
Northwestern: “Go! U Northwestern”
“Go! U Northwestern,” written by marching band member Theodore Van Etten, debuted in 1912 during a final home game win against Illinois.
Despite struggles within the athletic department, the song remains popular over 100 years later. It is sung by hundreds of high schools nationwide as their fight song. The song was also used by Northern Oklahoma College and North Carolina at Greensboro until they abandoned it in 2010.
