Minnesota Rouser

Last updated April 06, 2024

Current lyrics
Minnesota, hats off to thee! To thy colors true we shall ever be, Firm and strong, united are we. Rah, rah, rah, for Ski-U-Mah, Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah for the U of M. M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A Minnesota! Minnesota! Yaaaay Gophers! Contents Lyrics History In popular culture See also References External links

Original lyrics
Rah, rah, Honor to our college Minnesota U. Loyal to thy standards We'll never be untrue. Underneath thy pennant Pulses beat with pride And victory e'er shall be our aim O'er the nationwide, (Yell) Minnesota, hats off to thee, To thy colors true we shall ever be... Firm and strong, united are we. Rah, rah, rah, for Ski-U-Ma, Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, Rah, for the U of M. Ah........ (repeat refrain)

The "Minnesota Rouser" is the fight song of the University of Minnesota. It is played at all Minnesota Golden Gophers games.

Lyrics

The phrase 'Ski-U-Mah' was part of an early cheer for the U of M.

Gopher fans traditionally thrust their fists in the air during the spell-out, and make a circular motion with their fist during the yell.

The original lyrics were published in the Minneapolis Tribune, November 21, 1909.

History

It was the subject of a 1909 contest held by the Minnesota Daily and the Minneapolis Tribune to write a suitable song for Minnesota football games, to replace the hymnlike "Hail! Minnesota". The song was written by Floyd Hutsell, then the choir director of First Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. He originally included a verse, but only the refrain is sung today. Hutsell is best known outside Minnesota as "Robert LaMar," a prominent vaudeville and operetta actor and producer. The song was originally titled, "The U. of M. Rouser," but eventually became known as simply the "Minnesota Rouser."

Sheet music to the winning song was published November 21, 1909, as a Supplement to the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. Written in the key of G major, it was titled "The U. of M. Rouser" and was dedicated to B. A. Rose, Band Master, U. of M. The verse was included in this publication. The Judges for the fighting song, listed on the back, were: A.O. Eberhart, Governor of Minnesota; Cyrus W. Northrop, President of the University of Minnesota; Carlyle M. Scott, Professor of Music, University of Minnesota; J.A. Sende, Chief Musician, University of Minnesota Band; and Arthur Allen, President of the University of Minnesota Glee and Mandolin Club.

The contest spawned another prominent Big Ten song. William T. Purdy also submitted a song for the contest, titled "Minnesota, Minnesota." He withdrew it from the contest at the urging of his lyricist, Carl Beck, who wanted to offer the song to the University of Wisconsin, where it became "On Wisconsin".

In popular culture

The Boston-based rock orchestra, The Wings of Fire Orchestra, uses a variation of the U. of Minnesota Rouser on the song Connorfool (from Bullfighter Ballet, 2006).

On The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show , the lyrics are changed to "Wossamotta, Hats Off to U" ("Hail, Wossamotta, hail/Better we should land in jail.")

Related Research Articles

The University of Minnesota is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. The Twin Cities campus comprises locations in Minneapolis and Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul, approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) apart.

"On, Wisconsin!" is the fight song of the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A version with modified lyrics is the official state song of Wisconsin.

"Hail! Minnesota" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Minnesota. A variation is used as a school song of the University of Minnesota. It originated at the university in the early 20th century when some students decided to honor their graduating class with a new song. In 1945, the Minnesota State Legislature approved the tune as the state song.

Goldy Gopher is the mascot for the University of Minnesota and the associated sports teams, known as the Golden Gophers, as well as the 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018 UCA Mascot National Champion. During the year, Goldy makes over 1000 appearances and is at virtually all home games for University teams, usually wearing the appropriate sporting attire. The mascot is based on the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, colloquially referred to as a “gopher” in Minnesota.

Huntington Bank Stadium is an outdoor stadium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The stadium opened in 2009, after three years of construction. It is the home field of the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten Conference.

"Our Minnesota" was one of two winners of a 1925 contest to find an additional fight song for the University of Minnesota. Despite the popularity of the Minnesota Rouser, the Minnesota Union offered a hundred-dollar prize for the best college music and lyrics. Marion L. Bassett, a University of Minnesota English major, wrote "Our Minnesota" as part of an assignment for a music class. The judging committee could not decide between Bassett's entry and Truman Rickard's "Minnesota! Let's Go!" and split the prize between the two. "Our Minnesota" continues to be performed at Minnesota Golden Gopher athletic events.

“The Minnesota March” is a march for wind band written by John Philip Sousa in 1927 for the University of Minnesota. Sousa received an informal request for the march from Minnesota football coach Clarence Spears, and "readily agreed" to a request from a committee of university officials in October 1926. Sousa used Indian themes in this march, and later added field drum and bugle parts. The march was published by the Sam Fox Publishing Company and was premiered by Sousa and his band on September 3, 1927 at the Minnesota State Fair. It was first performed at the University of Minnesota the next month, on October 26, with a performance by the university band.

"Minnesota Fight" is one of several school songs of the University of Minnesota. Responding to a 1925 contest to find an additional fight song for the school, university graduate Truman E. Rickard entered a piece entitled "Minnesota! Let's Go!". Rickard shared the contest's hundred-dollar prize with another entry, Marion Bassett's "Our Minnesota". Rickard's fight song can still be heard at Minnesota Golden Gopher athletic events, but is now known as "Minnesota Fight".

"Go Gopher Victory" is one of the school songs of the University of Minnesota. Composed in 1925 by University graduate Addison H. Douglass, this tune was originally entitled "The Gopher M". It is frequently played at Minnesota Golden Gopher athletic events by the University of Minnesota Marching Band.

The University of Minnesota Marching Band is the marching band of the University of Minnesota and the flagship university band for the state of Minnesota. The Pride of Minnesota serves as an ambassador for the university, representing the school at major events both on and off campus. The band performs before, during, and after all home Golden Gopher football games and bowl games, occasional away games, local parades, numerous pepfests, exhibition performances, as well as a series of indoor concerts toward the end of the regular football season. Members of the band, along with non-member students, also participate in smaller athletic pep bands that perform at other major sporting events, including men's hockey, men's basketball, women's hockey, women's basketball, and women's volleyball.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. They are members of the Big Ten Conference and compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ice hockey. The Golden Gophers are one of the most prominent and storied programs in college hockey, having made 41 NCAA Tournament appearances and 23 trips to the Frozen Four. They have won five NCAA national championships, in 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002 and 2003. The team also shared the 1929 National Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship with Yale, and captured the national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship for amateur hockey in 1940.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Golden Gophers competes in the Big Ten Conference and play their home games at the Williams Arena.

The 1985 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1985 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second and final year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Golden Gophers compiled a 7–5 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 293 to 240.

The 1890 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota as an independent in the 1890 college football season. It was the only season under head coach Tom Eck and featured the historic first meeting between Minnesota and Wisconsin, the most-played rivalry at the top level of NCAA college football. The two teams have played each other every year since then except for 1906. That game was canceled by President Theodore Roosevelt who had decided to "cool off heated college football rivalries because of injuries and deaths on the field." The game was a decisive 63–0 Minnesota win.

The 1894 Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team represented the University of Minnesota as an independent during the 1894 college football season. It was Minnesota's only season under head coach Thomas Cochran, and it featured Minnesota's first trip to Madison, Wisconsin, a game which they were heavily favored to win. However, Wisconsin won a hard-fought game with a score of 6–0. The season also featured Minnesota's first game against Purdue, resulting in a decisive 24–0 victory.

The 1893 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1893 college football season. It was the only season under head coach Wallace Winter and it featured the second season of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest. Minnesota plowed undefeated through its schedule to set up an end-of-season matchup with Wisconsin for the league title. The game was a rout and the teams agreed to stop the game early after Minnesota took a 40–0 lead. Due to financial difficulties, the league disbanded after the 1893 season.

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Being the first program ever to form worldwide, the University of Minnesota is consequently considered the "Birthplace of Cheerleading". Today, the Gopher Spirit Squads consist of four separate squads: a cheer squad, a dance team, a hockey cheer squad, and the school's mascot, Goldy Gopher. The squads consistently perform well at national competitions including 21 national championships in dance since 2003, a 2nd-place finish for All-Girl in 2013, a fifth-place finish in 2017, and four-time national champion Goldy Gopher in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018. The current head coach is Sam Owens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hail to Pitt</span>

"Hail to Pitt" is the most traditional fight song of the University of Pittsburgh, which is commonly referred to as Pitt. The saying "Hail to Pitt!" is also the most traditional and commonly used slogan of the University of Pittsburgh and its athletics teams. The slogan is frequently used in promotional material, printed on merchandise and souvenirs. It was also the title of a 1982 history of Pitt athletics by author Jim O'Brien. The slogan is often used among alumni as a statement of affiliation, including as a closing signature in conversation or correspondence between alumni, and is sometime abbreviated as "HTP" or "H2P", the latter of which is a registered trademark of the university and is frequently used on official university signage and merchandise.

Ski-U-Mah is a slogan used at the University of Minnesota since 1884, when the newly emerging football team was coached by Thomas Peebles, a philosophy professor and former Princeton University faculty member.

The 2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Jerry Kill, who resigned on October 28, 2015 due to health reasons. Tracy Claeys replaced Kill on an interim basis and was named head coach two weeks later on November 11. The Gophers played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. Minnesota finished the regular season with a record of 5–7, 2–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division. Despite finishing below .500, the Gophers were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl versus Central Michigan due to there not being enough bowl eligible teams and Minnesota's high Academic Performance Rating. Minnesota defeated Central Michigan 21–14 to finish the season 6–7.

References

University of Minnesota Band Alumni Society (1992). Minnesota, Hats Off To Thee. Taylor Publishing Company. pp. 191–192. ISBN 0-9629747-0-6.
"The Minnesota Rouser". Regents of the University of Minnesota. 2005-05-05. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
"Ski-U-Mah". Regents of the University of Minnesota. 2005-05-05. Retrieved 2006-09-09.

External links

The Minnesota Rouser as performed by the University of Minnesota Marching Band

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