UT Austin traditions
UT traditions, oldest first
Each line comes from UT’s own pages: utexas.edu and the Texas Athletics site.
- Burnt orange · UT’s color. Orange and white became official that year1900
- The Eyes of Texas · UT’s school song, written and performed by students1903
- Bevo · The live longhorn mascot, first on the field at halftime1916
- Texas Fight · The fight song, first played at the game vs. Texas A&M1923
- Lighting the Tower · Lit for wins and milestones since the Tower opened1937
- Hook ’em Horns · The official hand sign, started at a pep rally before the TCU game1955
- Gone to Texas · New students gather at the Tower the night before classesAugust
- The Ring Celebration · Texas Exes rings spend the night at the Tower first. Next: April 16, 2027Fall and spring
What each Tower lighting means
UT lights the Tower in these set looks. The President can add other occasions to any of them.
- White TowerEveryday look
- White with an orange top · Regular season and bowl game victoriesFootball win
- Orange Tower · Special academic achievements, UT’s birthday, Commencement, Texas Independence Day, conference and club team championshipsHighest points
- Orange with a No. 1National championship
- Orange with special effects · Commencement and other occasionsFireworks or class years
- Darkened with a white cap · UT Remembers, the annual memorial serviceSolemn occasions
- Dark Tower · Earth Day and Earth HourEnergy-saving events
What is Gone to Texas, and when is it?The night before your first day of class, at the Tower.
Gone to Texas is UT’s welcome celebration for new students. Each August, first-year students gather in front of the UT Tower the night before classes begin. UT calls it the official start of Longhorn life.
UT says Gone to Texas welcomes more than 7,000 new Longhorns. The finale includes orientation advisors opening Tower windows to show 29, the graduation year for many of them, a performance by the Longhorn Band and the Spirit Squad, and the world’s largest Texas flag dropping from the Tower’s presidential balcony.
In the 1820s and early 1830s, Americans in the South chalked “GTT” on cabin doors and fence posts for “Gone To Texas.” At UT, it’s what students say with pride once they’re accepted.
What does it mean when the Tower is orange?It depends on the look. An orange top usually means a football win.
An orange top on the Tower celebrates Longhorn football’s regular season and bowl game victories. A fully orange Tower marks bigger moments, like special academic achievements, UT’s birthday, Commencement, Texas Independence Day and conference or club team championships. Orange with a No. 1 celebrates a national championship.
UT says the Tower has been lit since it opened in 1937 to celebrate the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff and alumni and to mark University milestones. White is the everyday look.
How do you do Hook ’em Horns, and where did it come from?Index and pinky fingers up. Head cheerleader Harley Clark started it in 1955.
You extend your index and pinky fingers. Harley Clark, UT’s head yell leader, introduced the sign at a pep rally at Gregory Gym before the November 1955 TCU game. He called it the official hand sign of The University of Texas, to be used whenever and wherever Longhorns gather.
By the end of the game the next day, the stadium was full of the sign. Texas lost that game, but UT says it gained a new tradition. Texas Athletics says Sports Illustrated voted it the nation’s top hand signal.
What is “The Eyes of Texas,” and where does UT stand on it?It’s UT’s school song and alma mater. UT’s committee report is on UT’s own site.
“The Eyes of Texas” is UT’s school song. Students wrote and performed it in 1903, poking fun at a favorite saying of then-President William Prather. It’s sung at the end of sporting events and University ceremonies, and Texas Athletics says it’s sung before the start and at the close of all its events. It remains UT’s alma mater.
In 2020, President Jay Hartzell formed The Eyes of Texas History Committee, made up of 25 faculty members, students, alumni and historians, to research the song’s origins and meaning. Its report says the song debuted in a racist setting, exceedingly common for the time. It also says the preponderance of research showed the song itself had no racist intent in that it was intended to parody the famous phrases of the university president.
The report adds that systemic racial intent existed in the setting and culture where the song debuted. It says the exclusion of Black students at that time presents an opportunity to think about how they and other communities of color have fought for inclusion and the work that remains.
Who is Bevo, and who takes care of him?A live longhorn mascot, cared for by the Silver Spurs.
Bevo is UT’s live longhorn mascot. A steer from South Texas was introduced to cheering football fans at halftime in 1916. The following month, the alumni magazine’s editor called him Bevo. UT has had more than a dozen Bevos since, and the Silver Spurs student organization handles them.
UT’s costumed mascot is a different character. He’s called Hook ’Em.
Why is UT’s color burnt orange?UT officially picked orange and white in 1900. Coach Darrell Royal revived burnt orange as the shade in the early 1960s.
Orange and white were first used as UT colors in 1885, when two students on their way to a baseball game bought ribbons for the crowd at a general store. UT officially adopted orange and white in 1900. Over the years the shade swung between bright orange and burnt orange, and Coach Darrell Royal revived burnt orange as the preferred shade for good in the early 1960s, because it more closely matched the color of a football.
What is “Texas Fight”?The fight song, first performed at the 1923 game against Texas A&M.
“Texas Fight!” is UT’s fight song. It was first performed at the 1923 football game against Texas A&M. After the yell section, it quotes “The Eyes of Texas.”
What happens at the Ring Celebration?Next one: April 16, 2027, at the Tower. Rings spend the night there first.
Per UT’s Tower site, the class rings spend the night at the Tower while it shines in honor of the students and alumni who will wear them. The recipients gather at the Tower the next day for the Texas Exes Ring Celebration and to pick up their rings. UT says the ring symbolizes the education alumni have received and is a daily reminder to change the world. The next Ring Celebration is April 16, 2027, at the Tower. Students who order their ring during Ring Week, February 1–5, 2027, are invited.
UT Tower on the ring celebration Texas Exes Ring Celebration
Sourcesutexas.edu and Texas Athletics
Checked November 12, 2026. Every tradition is described as UT’s own pages describe it: utexas.edu, the UT Tower site, UT News and Texas Athletics.
- The University of Texas at Austin: Longhorn Traditions
- UT Tower: Light the Tower
- Texas Athletics: Traditions, Hook ’em Horns hand signal
- Texas Exes: Ring Celebration
- UT News: What’s the Story Behind Gone to Texas?
- UT News: What Goes Into Gone to Texas
- Texas Athletics: Traditions, The Eyes of Texas
- UT Austin: The Eyes of Texas History Committee Report
- Texas Athletics: Traditions, Bevo
- UT Tower: Tower Shines as Texas Exes Rings Await Celebration