Stand up and cheer mighty green We are the proud Wolverines
As part of Homecoming Week, the Activities Committee will test students’ knowledge of the school’s fight song.
“Can you sing the fight song and are you willing to put yourself on the line to prove it?” These are the questions the Activities Committee are posing to the student body, and they’re offering prizes to those who answer.
During the MAWL tailgate on Jan. 27, held just before the men’s basketball game, students have the chance to stand and sing the fight song. Gift cards of $30, $15 and $5 will be awarded for Chili’s, Subway and Jamba Juice, respectively.
Although many students are not familiar with the fight song, that isn’t because it has not been around for long enough. The original version was penned in 1982 by Carl Sandren, who also wrote the well-known BYU fight song, “Rise and Shout,” as well as fight songs for several local high schools.
The song has adapted with each new phase that the school has undergone. During the transition to a four-year university a few years ago, some of the lyrics had to be changed to accommodate the new name. For example, “UVSC” had to be changed to “UVU,” and any words that had to rhyme to match.
The name of the song was also changed from “Wolverine Fight Song” to simply, “The Fight Song.” The tune, however remained the same.
“Three years ago [during the transition] we did some surveys and some focus groups and we found that people preferred to keep the same tune,” said Bob Rasmussen, dean of students. “So the current version is a totally re-vamped version of the fight song as far as the words are concerned, but with the same tune.”
It remains to be seen whether students can stand up and sing the correct words.
