‘Hook ’em Horns’ is one of the most well-known college sports signals, and with it comes ‘Horns Down’. For whatever reason, the ‘Horns Down’ hand signal has become an offensive sign to Texas fans that rivals even the use of extreme profanity or verbal abuse.
This is odd because there is no other chant or signal that triggers a fanbase or the media more than ‘Horns Down’ does to Texas. In the Big 12, signaling ‘Horns Down’ has resulted in 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties, something you don’t see happen for other teams “mocking a gesture” of the other team. The SEC will not go as extreme in penalizing teams, but the fact that it has been addressed shows how much of an issue it is.
On Wednesday, there was a viral moment when UCF Basketball players showed a ‘Horns Down’ symbol while in the post-game lines after a 77-71 win over the Longhorns. Texas Head Coach Rodney Terry made a big deal about this, yelling at UCF players and addressing the issue in his postgame speech.
Why does Texas think they're so special? Every other team in the country has to deal with the "L" gesture. What's the difference? #HornsDown pic.twitter.com/PVOYsGtNER
— Heartland College Sports (@Heartland_CS) January 18, 2024
History of Horns Down and Hook ’em Horns
Hook ’em Horns started all the way back in 1955 in a game against TCU when the cheerleaders were trying to create shadow animals during a performance. The hand signal picked up popularity and quickly became an iconic part of the Texas Longhorn culture.
The symbol really took off in a 1973 Sports Illustrated issue that featured the Texas Longhorns and the ‘Hook ’em Horns’ was featured on the front cover. As time has gone on, the symbol has been used and celebrated perhaps more than any other symbol in college sports.
Horns Down goes back a while as well. Nobody knows the exact moment when it started to become an anti-Texas symbol, but there is an image going back to 1963 where a photo was taken of a Texas Tech fan showing it in a game against Texas.
The symbol has been used for decades to mock or make fun of Texas and has been met with a lot of resistance by the Longhorn faithful.
Mocking Symbols is Common, Yet Texas Takes it Really Hard
Whether it is BYU fans doing the upsidedown ‘U’, opposing teams chanting ‘SEC’ when beating an SEC school, or opposing fans doing the Gator Chomp when beating Florida, mocking a team’s symbol is very common in college sports at all levels.
While it is only adding salt to the wound of opposing fanbases and players, nobody seems to take it nearly as tough as Texas fans. If you look on ESPN or other websites covering the UCF vs. Texas game last night, the headlines aren’t about UCF beating the Longhorns; they are about the ‘Horns Down’ situation. As mentioned earlier, in Big 12 Football, there was a 15-yard penalty for the gesture, something you don’t see anywhere else unless it is excessive taunting.
The only reason I can come up with that Texas takes it so hard is because of the pride that Texas takes in its program. Texas feels like they are the top brand in the country, and when they lose to a smaller school or a school filled with players that dreamed of playing at Texas, it feels like little brother beating up on big brother. Besides that, there is no real logical reason for Texas fans to get any more upset than any other fanbase that goes through the exact same scenario.
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If you’re a Texas fan, I’d love to hear your response. Please comment below, and we’ll respond back!
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2 Comments
The over-sensitivity and coddling of Texas makes no sense. The only statement on Texas’ views is that “it’s disrespectful.” (from Mack Brown.) What makes the Longhorns so special, outside of their own opinions?
BYU faces lewd caricatures (Stanford’s band) of polygamous past (gone since 1890), childish dressing up as LDS missionaries (San Diego St), and vulgar chanting (Oregon). The Gators, the (if my team didn’t win, someone in the conference did) SEC chant, decades of Aggie jokes, others were pointed out in the article, but Texans can flaunt, fly, wave their gesture, and no one is allowed to gesture back?
Seems more like bullying tactics by the self-perceived “haves” in the face of their supposed inferior “have nots.” Pish.
Of course, I love to replay the popular “Over, Under and Through” parody with Grover from Sesame Street, featuring Taysom Hill shredding Texas.
There is clearly no team that gets made of and get less press than BYU. Thanks for reading!