From Hook 'em Horns to the Gator Chomp: The Hand Signs of College Sports

Last week a picture surfaced showing George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, flashing the shocker with some students from Arizona State University. Hilarity ensued. Except, it turns out, that the “shocker” was really just the ASU hand sign, symbolizing the Sun Devils’ pitchfork.
 

With that, OTR was inspired to examine other school’s hand signs. Check out what other colleges are all about the sign language:
 

University of Houston: The “Cougar Paw” looks surprisingly like ASU’s “Pitchfork.” More importantly, did no one at either of these schools realize how similar these signs look like the shocker when they invented them? And yes, I realize the fingers should be closer together.
 

University of Texas: The Hook ’em Horns longhorn is probably the most famous of all college hand signs. Everyone from Matthew McConaughey (of course) to the Bush family have been seen holding up the longhorns. On a side note, the hand sign is also considered a satanic symbol by some… just saying.
 

Texas Tech: In response to the Hook ’em Horns, a Texas Tech graduate came up with the “Guns Up” intended to symbolize the Red Raiders shooting down their opponents. It can also double as a super cool greeting or victory sign (see Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore as an example).
 

Texas A&M: The first hand sign in the Southwest Conference actually came from the Texas Aggies. There “Gig ‘em” was started in 1930. It’s got a long legacy, for sure, but does anyone else notice it’s just a simple thumbs up?
 

Baylor University: Apparently Texas dominates the hand sign trend. Not surprisingly, Baylor Bears fans show their pride with a rise bear claw… not unlike the Wildcat hand sign of Northwestern, the Wolverine sign of Michigan, etc.
 

University of Florida: Finally away from Texas, UF’s hand sign is really more of a motion... it’s the infamous “Gator Chomp.” The name pretty much explains what it is, but watch out or the school’s over enthusiastic fans will make you Gator Bait.
 

Florida State University: Though FSU has come under criticism for their stereotype of Native Americans, it hasn’t stopped students and alumni from relishing in the “Tomahawk Chop.” So important is this tradition, that you can even find explicit directions on how to perform it correctly online at ehow.com. Trust me, it’s not that hard.