Hail Varsity

Hail Varsity
	Fight song of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lyrics	Joyce Ayres, 1936
Music	Wilbur Chenoweth, 1936
Adopted	1937

"Hail Varsity" is the fight song of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (NU), written in 1936 by Joyce Ayres and composed the same year by Wilbur Chenoweth. The song is often played at Memorial Stadium during Nebraska's football games by the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band and at other athletic events by the school's pep band.^[2]

History

Prior to 1936, the University of Nebraska had a series of unofficial fights songs, most notably Dear Old Nebraska U. Fans lamented the lack of a song to "express Cornhuker determination" compared to similar schools with long-established fight songs.^[3] "Hail Varsity" was written and composed by Joyce Ayres and Wilbur Chenoweth in an effort to fill this role. It was first performed on November 21, 1936 at NU's annual Kosmet Klub Fall Revue, a student skit contest, by the school's Men's Glee Club.^[1] The performance was met with praise, and the Lincoln Journal Star called "Hail Varsity" "the new Nebraska song."^[4] When it became clear "Hail Varsity" was likely to be adopted in an official capacity, the school's newspaper, The Daily Nebraskan, urged students to learn the song's words and recite them at football games.^[3]

Initially, "Hail Varsity" was often performed and sang in its entirety by the Men's Glee Club. Eventually, the Cornhusker Marching Band replaced the Glee Club as the primary performers of the song, and as it is typically performed in short bursts at sporting events, most of today's fans are unaware of the lyrics outside of the chorus.^[1]

The University of Nebraska recognizes four other unofficial fight songs, "Dear Old Nebraska U", "March of the Cornhuskers", "The Cornhuskers (Come a Runnin' Boys)", and "Mr. Touchdown U.S.A." A fifth, "Band Song", is typically played as a lead-in to "Hail Varsity".^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "1936: Hail Varsity is born". HuskerMax. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
^ ^a ^b "UNL Band fight songs". University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
^ ^a ^b "Student Pulse". The Daily Nebraskan. 15 Jan 1937. Retrieved 2 Mar 2022.
^ "Kosmet Club Fall Revue, Nov. 21, 1936". Lincoln Journal Star. Nov 1936. Retrieved 2 Mar 2022.

External links

Performance of Hail Varsity by the Cornhusker Marching Band

[Huskermax-1] "1936: Hail Varsity is born". HuskerMax. Retrieved 2022-03-02.

[NU_fight_songs-2] "UNL Band fight songs". University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved 2007-12-02.

[TDN-3] "Student Pulse". The Daily Nebraskan. 15 Jan 1937. Retrieved 2 Mar 2022.

[4] "Kosmet Club Fall Revue, Nov. 21, 1936". Lincoln Journal Star. Nov 1936. Retrieved 2 Mar 2022.

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