Georgetown

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Georgetown University is located in Washington, D.C. GU is the oldest Catholic University in the US. The Mascot is the Hoyas.

Contents

Traditions

Nickname

The Hoyas The origins of the word "Hoya" defy simple explanation. Over the years, some have claimed it is an Indian word, while those of a legal mind thought it related to the French word oyez, the traditional opening of judicial sessions. Still others held that with Georgetown's location along a river, Hoya might be an offshoot of the nautical "ahoy". None of these claims have held water, so to speak.

The official explanation holds that there was a baseball team at Georgetown called the "Stonewalls". It is suggested that a student, applying Greek and Latin, dubbed the team the hoia saxa-- hoia is the Greek neuter plural for "what" or "what a", while saxa is the Latin neuter plural for "rock". Substituting a "y" for an "i"; "hoya saxa" literally means "what rocks".

To this day, however, no one has proven exactly when and under what circumstances the yell originated. While there was a Stonewalls team between 1866 and 1873, an actual reference to the team is pure speculation. Some have held that hoia saxa referred not to the team but its surroundings--the team's field (the present site of Copley Lawn) was bounded by the College Walls along 37th street. One theory holds that words such as saxa (Latin for "rocks") were scribbled on the walls for years and a similar phrase may have simply been adopted by fans of the baseball team.

The Hoya yell gained additional attention in 1920. In that year, a fledgling student newspaper known as The Hilltopper petitioned Rev. Coleman Nevils, S.J., Dean of the College, to change its name to The HOYA, a name said to be more representative of the University. Nevils, who had championed naming the Holy Cross student paper "The Hoia" without success in 1916, enthusiastically approved the change.

As the college paper was often cited by sportswriters covering Georgetown sports in the 1920's, it took only a few years for a nickname to be born. By the fall of 1928, a HOYA sportswriter began to refer to the football team as the "Hoyas" rather than its contemporary nickname of the "Hilltoppers". The change was picked up by local writers as basketball season began, and Hoyas became the official Georgetown nickname within a few years.

Among all college programs, only Georgetown University holds this unique team nickname to which its students, faculty, alumni, and fans can take pride in. But the Hoya yell did find its way into the fight songs of two other Jesuit colleges: Holy Cross' "Hoiah, Holy Cross", and Marquette's "Ring Out Ahoya". Each appears to have its roots, however distant, in the yell begun on a college yard many years ago. In short, "Hoya" may be difficult to define, but its tradition endures

And that's "what" it's all about.

Colors

Blue & Gray Georgetown's colors are blue and gray. The colors were selected in 1876 by the Georgetown College Boat Club (the original crew team) in honor of Georgetown students and alumni who wore the Union blue and Confederate gray in the Civil War.

As recounted in a history of the crew by Lawrence H. Cooke, distinctive colors were important in watching crew races, since fans on shore wanted to know their team's location in the race. Harvard's crimson and Penn's red and blue were already well known, but Georgetown had no such colors to call its own. A student committee declared Blue and Gray "as appropriate colors for the [Boat] Club and expressive of the feeling of unity between the Northern and Southern boys of the College" and recommended its adoption for the team.

Soon thereafter, a banner was presented to the College by the Boat Club, sewn by the girls of the nearby Georgetown Visitation school. Half blue and half gray, it bore the inscription Ocior Auro ("Swifter Than The Wind"). The banner and its colors quickly became a part of college life. Student gatherings and formal University occasions both prominently featured the colors.

By the time intercollegiate teams were involved in varsity play, the Blue and Gray were already a Georgetown's tradition.

Mascot

Jack the Bulldog

Other

The Tombs
Since its founding in 1962, The Tombs restaurant has always held a special place in the hearts of Hoya fans everywhere. The bar and grill bellow the 1789 restaurant is decorated throughout with memorabilia of Georgetown's football and crew teams, and is the home for monthly a capella performances by another Georgetown tradition, The Chimes.

The Tombs remains a popular student and alumni destination after a home game on campus, as well as a prime location to watch Hoya basketball games on TV.

There always seems to be a wait, but the restaurant's appeal for Hoya fans is no less diminished, 40+ years since its founding.

Other Tombs traditions include 80's night, which is popular with Seniors. 80's night is every Wednesday.

The Exorcist Stairs
A traditional test of physical fitness for any Hoya is to run "the Exorcist stairs". Made famous in the 1973 horror classic written by Georgetown alumnus William Peter Blatty (C'49), the dark, narrow stairs are a part of the climactic scene in the movie, where a priest rids himself of the devil by hurling himself out the window of a house and down the steeply sloped stairs to his death.

In real life, the stairs connect Prospect Street with M Street below, and no one (that we know of) has been hurled down the stairs by a demonic possession. The 75 stairs and its three landings are the equivalent of a five story building, and while it's easy to make the journey down, going up takes a little bit of work. No wonder then, that "running the stairs" ten or more times gives Georgetown athletes an extra workout at the end of the day.

The Cheers, Yells, and Songs of Georgetown
Cheers and yells have changed over time at Georgetown, however students still respect the tradition of the University. "Hoya - Saxa" can still be heard at all sporting events, especially at the Verizon Center before, during, and after Men's basketball games. The cheer is usually yelled between the two student sections or between one student section and the young alumni section.

Other than the fight song and the alma mater which are sung at every Georgetown sporting event, the most well known song of the Hoyas is "Hey Baby" song in a call and response fashion by the student section at the under 8 minute time out in men's and women's basketball games and randomly during other sporting events.


Stadiums

Football

Georgetown completes in the Patriot League for Football

Staff

Head Football Coach - Kevin Kelly 1st yr @ GU
Defensive Coordinator -
Offensive Coordinator - Jim Miceli 1st yr @ GU

Projected Starters

Offense
QB:
RB:
WR:
WR:
LT:
LG:
C:
RG:
RT:

Defense
DE:
DT:
DT:
DE:
LB:
LB:
LB:
CB:
CB:
FS:
SS:

History

  • Bowl Appearances - 1941, 1950, 1997
  • Bowl Record - 0-3
  • Conference Championships - 1997, 1998, 1999
  • Famous Alumni - Al Blozis, Jim Castiglia, Jack Hagerty, Augie Lio, Tony Plansky

Basketball

Staff

Head Basketball Coach - John Thompson III

Projected Starters

PG: Jon Wallace
SG: Jessie Sapp
SF: Patrick Ewing Jr.
PF: Jeff Green
C: Roy Hibbert

Key Bench Players:
PG: [[Allen Iverson SG: Tyler Crawford
PF/C: Vernon Macklin
SF: Dajuan Summers, Tay Spann

History

Baseball

Staff

Head Baseball Coach - Pete Wilk
Pitching Coach - Mark Van Ameyde
Hitting Coach - Matt Bok

History

  • College World Series Appearances - None
  • National Championships - 1922 (pre-CWS)
  • Famous Alumni - Don Brennan, Clyde Sukeforth, Art Devlin


Big East Conference
Football: Cincinnati • Connecticut • Louisville • Pittsburgh• Rutgers • South Florida • Syracuse • West Virginia
  Non-Football: DePaul • Georgetown • Marquette • Notre Dame• Providence • St. John's • Seton Hall • Villanova  		 Big East Conference
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