Wahoos

Unofficial nickname for the University of Virginia

For other uses, see Wahoo (disambiguation).

A mascot of a Virginia Cavalier, unofficially a Wahoo, at a football game, September 2009

Wahoos, often shortened to 'Hoos, is a nickname for sports teams of the University of Virginia (officially the Cavaliers), and more generally, a nickname for University students and alumni.

## Origins

[edit]

The nickname is a back-formation from the school's yell, "wa-hoo-wa."

Official University of Virginia sports documents explain that Washington and Lee baseball fans first called University of Virginia players "a bunch of rowdy Wahoos," and used the "Wahoowa" yell as a form of derision during the in-state baseball rivalry in the 1890s, presumably after hearing them yell or sing "wa-hoo-wa."[1] The term "Wahoos" spread around the University and was commonly in use by the 1940s. "'Hoos" emerged as an equally commonly accepted nickname on the university Grounds (campus) and in student publications. Although the terms “Cavaliers,” “Wahoos” and “‘Hoos” are used almost interchangeably to refer to University teams and players, “Cavaliers” is more often used by the media, while “Wahoos” and “‘Hoos” are frequently used by Virginia students and fans. [2]

The yell was invented as an Indian yell for Dartmouth College by Dartmouth student Daniel Rollins in 1878.[3] Corks & Curls, the University of Virginia annual, regularly printed lists of the yells and colors of the various colleges; in 1888 it included Dartmouth's school yell, a part of which was the phrase "wa-hoo-wa."[4] University of Virginia students soon incorporated the phrase "wa-hoo-wa" into their own, longer school yell, and individual U.Va. fraternities also adopted it and modified it. It was common for such student culture to travel: the University of Illinois also adopted "wa-hoo-wa." Dartmouth students, meanwhile, largely stopped using the Indian yell during the 1980s along with the accompanying Indian mascots, symbols, and nickname.[3]

The yell was already in use by the time Nathalie Floyd Otey performed at the Levy Opera House in Charlottesville on January 30, 1893. She sang a song specifically about the town and University titled "Wa-Hoo-Wa" that began, "Oh, Charlottesville, illustrious name,/ The home of Jefferson you claim;/ The lap of learning, font of fame—" and was set to the tune of "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay," with the catchy chorus sung as "Wa-hoo-wa you-vee-ay." Otey's song was popular enough with students that Corks & Curls printed it in 1894.[5] Legend, however, states that Otey sang "Where'er You Are, There Shall My Love Be". The student audience decided to join in the refrain of the song and by the end of the play the crowd turned the words "Where'er You Are" into "Wah Hoo Wah."[6] Both events might have occurred, since an enthusiastic student audience might reasonably be presumed to sing along with Otey after hearing her sing "Wah-Hoo-Wah."

While there is no evidence that the nickname stems from the wahoo fish, it is often claimed by students that a "wahoo is a type of bass fish that is capable [of] drinking twice its weight."[7]

## The Good Old Song

[edit]

Main article: The Good Old Song

The "wah-hoo-wah" yell is memorialized in The Good Old Song,[8] the de facto alma mater of the University of Virginia written in the mid-1890s, which describes "the good old song of Wah-Hoo-Wah." The song is sung by the spectators at Virginia football games after a score.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "University Nicknames". University of Virginia – Official Athletics Website. University of Virginia Athletic Department. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
2. ^ "Traditions". 15 May 2020.
3. ^ a b Meacham, Scott (June 2009). "The Persistence of 'Wah-hoo-wah,' Dartmouth's 'Indian Yell,' At the University of Virginia" (PDF). Dartmo.: The Buildings of Dartmouth College. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
4. ^ Corks & Curls, 1888. 1888. pp. 104–105.
5. ^ Corks & Curls, 1894. 1894.
6. ^ Leung, Brian (September 2016). 100 Things Virginia Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-62937-174-0.
7. ^ Turner II, Greg Allen (25 August 2013). "Wahoo Slang". The Virginia Advocate. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
8. ^ "Chants". Hoo Crew. Retrieved 9 July 2017.

* v
* t
* e

University of Virginia

Located in: Charlottesville, Virginia

Academics

| Schools|

* School of Architecture
* Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
* College of Arts & Sciences
* School of Continuing and Professional Studies
* Darden School of Business
* McIntire School of Commerce
* Curry School of Education
* School of Engineering and Applied Science
* School of Law
* School of Medicine
* School of Nursing
* College at Wise
* The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School

|

Scholarship programs|

* Echols Scholars
* Jefferson Scholars
* Rodman Scholars

Research|

* Association of American Universities
* Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
* Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
* Japanese Text Initiative
* Universitas 21
* Mid Atlantic Terascale Partnership
* Flexible Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture
* Applied Research in Patacriticism
* Networked Infrastructure for Nineteenth-Century Electronic Scholarship
* Legion
* Mentat
* Real-time Cmix

Research publications|

* University of Virginia Press
* Virginia Law Review
* Virginia Journal of International Law
* Journal of Law & Politics

Other|

* Rare Book School
* Semester at Sea
* University of Virginia Demographics and Workforce Group
* Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
* Miller Center of Public Affairs
* University of Virginia Center for Politics
* Sabato's Crystal Ball

Athletics

| Teams and music|

* Virginia Cavaliers
* Virginia Pep Band
* Cavalier Marching Band
* Wahoos
* The Good Old Song
* The Cavalier Song

|

Sports|

* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football
* 2022 shooting
* Men's lacrosse
* Women's lacrosse
* Men's soccer
* Women's soccer
* Swimming and diving
* Men's tennis

Rivalries|

* Virginia Tech (overall, football, and men's basketball)
* Johns Hopkins
* Maryland Terrapins
* lacrosse
* North Carolina Tar Heels

Facilities|

* Davenport Field at Disharoon Park
* John Paul Jones Arena
* Klöckner Stadium
* Lake Monticello
* Memorial Gym
* Scott Stadium
* Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center
* University Hall
* University Hall Turf Field

Grounds

* The Lawn
* The Range
* The Rotunda
* Thomas Jefferson statue
* McIntire Amphitheatre
* The Corner
* Fan Mountain Observatory
* Hereford College
* Jefferson Hall
* McCormick Observatory
* Memorial to Enslaved Laborers
* Rugby Road
* University of Virginia Cemetery

Student life

| Publications|

* The Cavalier Daily
* The Hedgehog Review
* Virginia Law Weekly
* Virginia Quarterly Review
* The Yellow Journal

|

Radio stations|

* WTJU
* WXTJ-LP

Greek life|

* University of Virginia Greek life

Debating societies|

* Jefferson Literary and Debating Society
* Washington Literary Society and Debating Union

Performing arts|

* The Academical Village People
* Hullabahoos
* Sil'hooettes
* The Virginia Belles
* Virginia Film Festival
* Virginia Gentlemen
* Virginia Glee Club

Residential colleges|

* Brown College at Monroe Hill
* Hereford College
* International Residential College
* First-year living areas
* Alderman Road
* McCormick Road

Secret societies|

* IMP Society
* Seven Society
* Z Society
* Other

People

* Alumni and faculty
* Thomas Jefferson (founder)
* Enslaved laborers
* University Presidents

Established: 1819 – Endowment: $7.53 billion – Students: 22,391

* Commons
* Category

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template