Traditions
It's the taste of purple ice cream in the summer. It's watching autumn leaves swirl through the quad against a limestone background. It's taking a picture in front of Higinbotham Gate in your cap and gown. It's service and sacrifice, and a passion for purple.
K-Staters take pride in paying homage to traditions of past generations, as well as creating their own. Take a look at a few examples of time-honored K-State traditions that you can adopt or use to find inspiration.
Long may thy colors fly
It's pretty easy to recognize that the university's official color is royal purple — after all, K-State purple is everywhere on our campuses. Visitors often share with us their surprise that faculty, staff and students alike are all regularly donned in purple attire. For us, it's simply a daily symbol of our Wildcat Pride. And while K-State purple is often traditionally paired with white, sometimes even silver or black, purple alone remains the only official university color since 1896.
The songs of K-State
The Wabash Cannonball
The Wabash Cannonball was first performed for an athletic event at K-State on December 16, 1968. Wabash was the only selection in the band's repertoire that evening for a home basketball game at Ahearn Fieldhouse. Just three nights prior, arsonists had set fire to Nichols Hall, at that time the home of the Music Department, destroying all of the departments assets including the sheet music. The band director at that time, Phil Hewett, the band director at the time, just happened to have taken one copy of Wabash home from the library that night to work on the arrangement; thus making it the only selection to survive the fire.
Today, fans jump to their feet at the first notes of "The Wabash Cannonball," clapping, bending and twisting in synchronized motions just like the generations of K-Staters before them. This rousing anthem has an inspiring history, and was recently voted the No. 1 pregame tradition in the Big 12 by ESPN.
Alma Mater
K-State's Alma Mater was written by H. W. Jones in 1888 and was later selected to represent the university during a campus contest held in 1903. Students, alumni and Wildcat fans alike can be seen swaying back and forth as the melody progresses, connected by the powerful loyalty expressed through the lyrics.
I know a spot that I love full well,
'Tis not in forest nor yet in dell;
Ever it holds me with magic spell,
I think of thee, Alma Mater.
K-S-U, we'll carry thy banner high.
K-S-U, long, long may thy colors fly.
Loyal to thee, thy children will swell the cry.
Hail, hail, hail. Alma Mater.
University Fight Song
Written in 1927 by Harry E. Erickson, Wildcat Victory is the official fight song of Kansas State, and it is a rousing anthem of Wildcat Pride and pure fandom fun. Clap along to the playful melody and don't forget to pump your fists along to the final line!
Fight, you K-State Wildcats
For alma mater fight-fight-fight!
Glory in the combat
For the purple and the white.
Faithful to our colors.
We will ever be,
Fighting ever fighting for a
Wildcat Victory!
Go State!