Hex Rally
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Hex Rally (sometimes Texas Hex) is a pep rally at The University of Texas at Austin that occurs in the week prior to the annual football game between the Texas Longhorns and their in-state rivals, the Texas A&M Aggies.[1]
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[edit] History
Before the 1941 game, a group of students went to a fortune teller, Mozzelle "Madame Augusta" Hipple, for advice. The Aggies were undefeated that season and the Longhorns had not defeated A&M at Kyle Field in almost 18 years, going 10-7-1 from 1923 through 1940.[2] The fortune teller told the students to burn red candles, symbolizing challenge and opposition. University students, alumni and fans burned red candles for the entire week before the game. The Longhorns won the football game 23-0.
For several years, the University of Texas also attempted to hex the Aggies with a bonfire, similar in structure to the Aggie Bonfire. However, there was not sufficient lumber to build one as large, and student interest was lacking. UT Bonfire eventually died out in the mid-1980s. The physics department at the university decided to build an iron candle-like torch as a replacement, which is lit each year at the rally.[3]
The rally has been held annually, except in 2002 after the death of Texas A&M football player Brandon Fails, and 1999 when the rally's tone was altered in response to the tragedy of the Aggie bonfire collapse; the 1999 rally was called a "Unity Gathering" and featured white candles instead of red.[4]
[edit] Rally
The Texas Exes Student Chapter, sponsored by the Texas Exes alumni organization, organizes the event. The Longhorn Band, cheerleading squad, Smokey the Cannon, the World's Largest Texas Flag, and football team all appear at the event, where red candles are indeed still burned.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Texas Football Hex Rally. MackBrownTexasFootball. Retrieved on 2006-01-20.
- ^ "All time results", MackBrownTexasFootball, 15 November 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
- ^ a b Adams, Kathy. "To Hex with A&M", The Daily Texan, 2004-11-23. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ "UT Cancels Hex Rally; Will Hold Unity Gathering", 22 November 1999. Retrieved on 2006-01-20.
[edit] External links
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