The U
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The U is a nickname used for several universities and their sports teams, especially by the local community, and for those with prominent letter U logos. More originally, The U refers to the University of Utah. This name spurs from the fact that it is one of the only universities in the nation that can go by the title, the U of U. To further emphasize its use, rising high above the university on Mount Van Cott of the Wasatch Range, located directly behind campus, rests a massive concrete U cast into its side. This emblem has existed at this location since 1907 and stands as a beacon to the Salt Lake Valley. The "U" is lit up for each athletic event and flashes after a victory. In response to the concrete U on the mountainside, the rival university to the south, Brigham Young University, created their own display, portraying a block "Y" overlooking Utah Valley in Provo. Today the University of Utah is prominently known as "the U" and BYU is known as "the Y", likely having to do with their mountainside marquees as well as the letter on the side of their helmets.
Other universities also make use of "the U." Although, somewhat at odds for why they use a "U" when it would be more appropriate to use an "M", the University of Miami's logo "U", painted half green and half orange adorns their helmets. The University of Miami's green and orange "U" logo was nearly discarded 29 years ago for a "stylized" fish hook - something not as easily expressed with a hand gesture. Then University of Miami student and Student Government campaign manager Danny Salzverg founded the Let's Save The "U" group on campus. By then, the new symbol was already creating controversy. In 1979, some students, including Salzverg, were strongly against changing the logo. Salzverg organized the group of students who began flooding campus walls with black-and-white "Let's save the U" flyers. What started out as a grassroots effort headed by Salzverg, later gained the attention and support needed by faculty, alum, and local media. By 1981, Edward "Tad" Foote replaced Henry King Stanford and reinstated the "U." This was made popular during the 2007 season following the release of Soulja Boy's "Crank That." In the song it appears as if Soulja Boy yells "The U" repeatedly. The song was discontinued following the University administration's discovery of the lyrics' meaning.
To a lesser extent The U can refer to the:
La U is also the nickname of the Universitario de Deportes, a Peruvian football (soccer) team.
[edit] External Links
Photo: Block U on the Wasatch Mountains..
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[edit] Other uses
To a lesser extent The U can refer to the:
La U is also the nickname of the Universitario de Deportes, a Peruvian football (soccer) team.
[edit] External Links
Photo: Block U on the Wasatch Mountains..
|
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
