Hoya Saxa
Encyclopedia
Hoya Saxa is the official cheer and "college yell" of Georgetown University
and its athletics teams
. Hoya is an Ancient Greek
word usually transliterated from as hoia from the word hoios meaning "such" or "what" as in "what manner of", and is used in certain Biblical quotations. however, is Latin
for "rocks" or "small stones". It was used in the name of some Roman settlements, such as Saxa Rubra
. Before 1900, students at Georgetown were required to study classical linguistics, and both words are in the neuter plural of their respective languages. The phrase together is generally translated into English as "what rocks!", though other translations have suggested "such rocks!" or "great rocks!" or even "what rocks?" as a question. It was also historically rendered as "Hoya, Hoya, Saxa!", a form that is used in The Hoya Song from 1930 which mocked the cheers of other universities, and was then included in the school fight song, There Goes Old Georgetown
.
The phrase was first used at Georgetown University sometime before 1893, when it was noted in publications about Georgetown's football games against Swarthmore College
and UNC
. By 1894, chanting the phrase was considered a well established tradition, and its use at commencement and alumni celebrations was also published. The exact origin or original use of the cheer is however unknown. Probable theories suggest it either refers to the stalwart defense of the football team
or to one of the baseball teams, which was named the "Stonewalls". The baseball team was founded in 1870 while the football team formed in 1874, and the cheer was used at both sports' events by the 1890s. It might also refer to the actual stone wall that surrounds the campus, for which the baseball team was named.
By the 1920s, the term "hoya" began to be used as an adjective to describe students and their associations on campus, starting with the student-run sports newspaper The Hoya
in 1920, and the school mascot
in 1926. By 1929, the term "Hoyas" was applied to the athletics teams themselves. University president William Coleman Nevils (1928–1935) encouraged this, and he was known to have suggested the name "Hoiah" be used at his previous school, College of the Holy Cross
, for their student newspaper. Since the early 1990s, the phrase has been painted in large letters on an abandoned trolley trestle by the university's Canal Road entrance. The sign is an occasional target of vandalism because of its association with school spirit. Word plays and rhymes using the phrase are common, including "Hoya Snaxa", the student run
snack shop. The school also hosts a "Hoya Saxa Weekend" each spring to highlight the school's diversity to new minority applicants.
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and its athletics teams
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
. Hoya is an Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
word usually transliterated from as hoia from the word hoios meaning "such" or "what" as in "what manner of", and is used in certain Biblical quotations. however, is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "rocks" or "small stones". It was used in the name of some Roman settlements, such as Saxa Rubra
Saxa Rubra
Saxa Rubra was a village and station on the Flaminian Way, 9 miles from Rome.It is now the name of a Rome neighboorhood located 9 kilometres north of Rome's center along the Via Flaminia...
. Before 1900, students at Georgetown were required to study classical linguistics, and both words are in the neuter plural of their respective languages. The phrase together is generally translated into English as "what rocks!", though other translations have suggested "such rocks!" or "great rocks!" or even "what rocks?" as a question. It was also historically rendered as "Hoya, Hoya, Saxa!", a form that is used in The Hoya Song from 1930 which mocked the cheers of other universities, and was then included in the school fight song, There Goes Old Georgetown
There Goes Old Georgetown
"There Goes Old Georgetown" is the unofficial name of the Georgetown University sports teams' fight song. It is also known as simply "Georgetown Fight Song". It is actually an amalgamation of three songs, only the oldest of which, 1913's "The Touchdown Song", contains the lyric "here goes old...
.
The phrase was first used at Georgetown University sometime before 1893, when it was noted in publications about Georgetown's football games against Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
and UNC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. By 1894, chanting the phrase was considered a well established tradition, and its use at commencement and alumni celebrations was also published. The exact origin or original use of the cheer is however unknown. Probable theories suggest it either refers to the stalwart defense of the football team
Georgetown Hoyas football
The Georgetown Hoyas football team represents Georgetown University in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level of college football. Like other sports teams from Georgetown, the team is named the Hoyas, which derives from the chant, Hoya Saxa...
or to one of the baseball teams, which was named the "Stonewalls". The baseball team was founded in 1870 while the football team formed in 1874, and the cheer was used at both sports' events by the 1890s. It might also refer to the actual stone wall that surrounds the campus, for which the baseball team was named.
By the 1920s, the term "hoya" began to be used as an adjective to describe students and their associations on campus, starting with the student-run sports newspaper The Hoya
The Hoya
The Hoya, the oldest and largest student newspaper of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, was founded in 1920. The Hoya prints an edition every Tuesday and Friday during the academic year and has a circulation of 6,500...
in 1920, and the school mascot
Jack the Bulldog
Jack the Bulldog is the official mascot of the Georgetown University Hoyas athletics teams. Jack has been the name of at least four live Bulldogs since 1962, when the name first came into use. The current incarnation of Jack is an English Bulldog born in 2003 whose full name is John S. Carroll....
in 1926. By 1929, the term "Hoyas" was applied to the athletics teams themselves. University president William Coleman Nevils (1928–1935) encouraged this, and he was known to have suggested the name "Hoiah" be used at his previous school, College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, for their student newspaper. Since the early 1990s, the phrase has been painted in large letters on an abandoned trolley trestle by the university's Canal Road entrance. The sign is an occasional target of vandalism because of its association with school spirit. Word plays and rhymes using the phrase are common, including "Hoya Snaxa", the student run
Students of Georgetown, Inc.
Students of Georgetown, Inc., or "The Corp", as it is commonly known , is a 5013 non-profit public charitable organization at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and is the largest entirely student-run c3 non-profit corporation in the world, with seven subsidiary companies generating annual...
snack shop. The school also hosts a "Hoya Saxa Weekend" each spring to highlight the school's diversity to new minority applicants.